Analysis: Propaganda, Deception, and Fake News in the Israel-Hamas conflict
The last thing that matters in any propaganda operation is whether there is any truth in it.
Multiple surprise breachesof Israel’s security barriers between it and Gazawere carried out in a very determined and efficient fashion,as were the executions and captures of members of Israeli armed forces and civilians in the settlements swarmed by Hamas’s fighters.
The action was planned as a message saying “This is what we can and will do” – and as such it falls under that important, even crucial, part ofthe art of war we call psychological warfare.
The term may be new – it was first used barely 80 years ago, at the beginning of World War II – but the actions it describes are as old as warfare itself, as old as humanity.
From time immemorial, military commanders knew that they stood a better chance of being victorious in battle if their enemy was weakened and demoralised by fear and uncertainty.
Ancient warrior chiefs knew that surprise is one of the most efficient military tactics. If you make your foes guess when and how you will attack, and especially if you make them expect you at a different place at a different time, you have already half won your battle. The other half of victory is achieved by striking your enemy when and where he did not expect you and overcoming his weakened resistance.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/14/analysis-propaganda-deception-fake-news-and-psychological-warfare