No Mercy
Tzvi Yehezkeli Slams Gaza Flood Videos as Propaganda: "No Drop of Compassion for Staged Victimhood" | WATCH
Israeli analyst Tzvika Yehezkeli ignites controversy after dismissing Gaza flood videos as staged propaganda, accusing Hamas and Qatari-backed networks of pushing AI-generated victimhood clips, including a debunked “floating hand” video, as Storm Byron batters the region and intensifies an already polarized information war.
Prominent Arab affairs analyst Tzvika Yehezkeli dismissed viral footage of severe flooding in Gaza amid Storm Byron as part of a long-running "Palestinian lie industry," declaring on a morning radio show: "I’ve known this for 30 years. They are extras in one big show produced by the Qatari-funded lie machine and Hamas. These videos, some of which may even be AI-generated, are designed to generate worldwide sympathy, and unfortunately, they succeed. I find it hard to feel even a drop of compassion."
The former IDF military correspondent for Galatz recounted a personal anecdote from a house demolition in Judea and Samaria, where a Palestinian child instructed his mother: "Not yet, it's just the radio here now, start the show when TV arrives," to underscore what he described as orchestrated emotional manipulation.
Yehezkeli's remarks, aired on Channel 14's "Hagit" program, come as the Mediterranean storm unleashes torrential rains, high winds, and flash floods across Gaza and Israel, displacing thousands more in already devastated tent camps, courtesy of Hamas.
Gaza's civil defense (which is still run by Hamas) reported over 2,500 distress calls Thursday alone, with a baby girl allegedly succumbing to hypothermia amid the chaos, though Yehezkeli argued such crises are exaggerated for global PR.
Spotlight on Debunked AI Video: The "Floating Hand" Propaganda Clip
Adding fuel to Yehezkeli's claims, a widely shared video purporting to show Gazans wading through chest-high floodwaters in a displacement camp has been exposed as AI-generated, featuring glaring artifacts like a disembodied "floating hand" clutching a Palestinian flag with no attached body, unnatural water ripples unaffected by movement, and distorted limbs on figures.
The 8-second clip, depicting a chaotic scene of families amid heavy downpour, surfaced on X on yesterday, just as Storm Byron's rains began lashing the region. It quickly amassed over 500,000 views before debunkings flooded in, with users pointing to classic AI flaws from tools like Midjourney or Stable Video Diffusion, likely crafted to evoke pity and boost fundraising for Hamas-linked groups.O
Fact-checkers and X users, including forensics analyst @ChayasClan, noted the hand's impossible positioning (no shoulder or torso visible) and static water effects as "telltale AI slop."