Israel embeds ads in children’s video games, demonizing Hamas, Palestinians

Israel has reportedly used a sickening media propaganda strategy by inserting graphic pro-Israel ads into children’s video games as it deepens its ground invasion of Gaza, where more than 8,000 Palestinians, including more than 3,000 children, have so far been killed in airstrikes .

This unconventional tactic has raised concerns as such content is exposed to young players.

Maria Julia Cassis, a mum from north London, reported that her 6-year-old son encountered a disturbing ad while playing a puzzle game on his Android phone.

The ad depicted suffering Israeli families and Hamas gunmen, along with a message from Israel’s Foreign Ministry that said: “WE WILL MAKE SURE THOSE WHO HARM US PAY A HEAVY PRICE.” Cassis immediately removed the game as her son found the content too disturbing.

This incident is not an isolated one, as Reuters has identified at least five such cases across Europe where players, including many children, were confronted with similar pro-Israel ads with rocket attacks, explosions and masked assailants. These ads even infiltrated popular games like “Angry Birds,” developed by Rovio, leading to player discomfort and parental concerns.

Rovio, the developer of “Angry Birds,” said those ads with disturbing content had accidentally entered its game and were being manually blocked. The company declined to specify which of its advertising partners was responsible for those ads.

The head of Digital at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, David Saranga, acknowledged that the video in question was a government commercial. However, he claimed not to know how it ended up in various games.

This video is part of a larger advocacy campaign by Israel’s foreign ministry, which has allocated $1.5 million for online advertising since the Gaza war began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7. Saranga emphasized the graphic nature of the campaign, aimed at raising global awareness of the situation in Israel.

Reuters tried to determine the source of those ads by contacting 43 advertising companies listed as “third-party data partners” on Rovio’s website. However, only 12 of those partners, including Amazon, Index Exchange and Pinterest, responded, denying their involvement in ad placement.

According to Saranga, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made payments to advertising companies such as Taboola, Outbrain, Google and X (formerly Twitter). However, both Taboola and Outbrain broke away from in-game advertising. Reuters found no evidence of a similar Palestinian digital advertising campaign, except for some Arabic-language videos from Palestine TV.

This controversial approach has raised ethical and legal concerns, particularly regarding the age of audiences exposed to such graphic content. While advertising regulations vary from country to country, authorities generally support the responsible targeting of ads away from under-18s.

In Britain, where Maria Julia Cassis and her son live, the Advertising Standards Authority monitors advertising campaigns, stressing the need to protect children from graphic content promotions.