Israel’s Unit 8200: Spreading Anti-Palestinian Propaganda

The so-called “electronic flies,” “electronic committees,” and followers of Israel’s military intelligence Unit 8200, which leads the cyber war efforts, continue their verbal attacks on social media platforms, some Arab TV channels, and other media outlets. Their aim is to “demonize the resistance” and blame it for the situation in Gaza, a campaign that has even expanded to “demonizing the Palestinian” himself and surrounding him with a “vile racial war.”

This task is neither costly nor labor-intensive. It only requires the creation of fake accounts to spread false news, manipulate statements or videos, or reshare old tweets or unrelated videos. They may attack the leaders of countries, their national and political symbols, and even their artistic figures, igniting a “civil war” where real and fake individuals mix, creating chaos.

These verbal wars aim to disrupt social cohesion in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, the Gulf countries, and Egypt, and in any place that poses a threat to the Zionist narrative about what is happening in Gaza and occupied Palestine in general.

Jordanian writer and journalist Basel Rfaia explains: “I do not see a significant Israeli achievement in the war of images since October 7th. The Zionist institution has not yet achieved a successful propaganda impact. Perhaps this explains their efforts to incite Arabs against Palestinians and to demonize them severely by evoking nationalistic fervor and creating threats.”

Rfaia, who is currently residing in the United States, told Quds Press: “A girl cursed Yehya Sinwar, and dozens of supporters joined her on ‘X’ using vulgar language and derogatory terms. This has been a trend for months, with fake accounts and manufactured narratives aimed against the resistance and the Palestinian people, especially among the diaspora.”

The content is filled with racist rhetoric and sometimes involves well-known figures and politicians.

Regarding the impact of these fake accounts, Rfaia, a member of the Jordanian Writers Association and the Jordanian Journalists Syndicate, as well as the Arab Journalists Union, stated: “People here in Jordan do not pay attention to all the noise on the internet. They do not seek to promote any content about their natural support for Gaza, and if they do share it on social media, it is done out of shyness or a feeling of inadequacy.”

A significant portion of these fake accounts are created by “Unit 8200,” one of the largest and oldest units of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, established in the mid-20th century by the Zionist intelligence agency Aman. Its goals include eavesdropping, decryption, and providing information and warnings to the central command and general staff. Despite its advanced technology, the unit failed to predict the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation on October 7th.

Activist Rola Qawasmi wrote on ‘X’: “Unit 8200’s interventions are meant to divide the Arab unity, aiming to create conflicts among the Islamic Ummah and split the people—Jordanians, Palestinians, Gulf Arabs, Libyans, Iraqis, Syrians, etc.—to divert them from the main issue and the central tragedy of Palestine in the Arab world.”

Unit 8200 leads activities on social media targeting leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, through a network of Arabic accounts it manages. The focus is on inciting hatred against the resistance and perpetuating the narrative of “Hamas” targeting civilians and the violations faced by the occupying state at the hands of Palestinians.

Media reports indicate that some of these accounts inciting discord are managed by Israeli army spokesperson Itai Cohen.

Abu Obaida, the military spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, stated at the start of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation: “A number of fighters safely withdrew from the Oren base, which houses Unit 8200, after completing their mission there and inflicting significant losses on the enemy forces.”

One of the forms that Unit 8200’s activities take on social media is what is now known as “electronic flies,” among other names.

A cybersecurity expert, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed that “electronic flies or electronic committees are among the most significant tools of modern cyber warfare on social media. They do not require large financial costs or a heavy arsenal but just computers, programmed bots, and viruses are sufficient to cause damage and incite conflicts.”

Electronic flies are defined as fake, programmed accounts managed in a systematic way through software and sites that automatically write comments, like posts, and retweet content to defend a specific viewpoint or attack opposing viewpoints, targeting individuals or countries to influence public opinion.

According to experts and media figures, identifying fake accounts can be done through several methods, including: the absence of real digital identity indicators, lack of personal information such as real profile pictures, use of pseudonyms, and names associated with national symbols and social figures.

Most of these accounts are newly created with a short time span between accounts, lacking a large number of followers. They also exhibit rapid posting and tweeting, flooding multiple platforms with the same language, images, and expressions as if they were duplicate copies.

The “demonization” process is not limited to the Zionists but also includes campaigns on social media led by Arab governments and intelligence agencies aimed at undermining the resistance and the Palestinian people. These accounts also serve other functions to incite sectarian, religious, and ethnic conflicts within the Arab world to maintain a state of perpetual internal strife, though they are mostly provocative and exposed with minimal lasting impact.