TEHRAN – Google stands accused of facilitating Israel’s war effort, providing both the tools and platforms that aid military operations and shape global narratives.

In a striking escalation of digital control, Israel reportedly asked the U.S. tech giant to obscure satellite imagery of sensitive sites, as Yemen intensifies drone and missile strikes on strategic Israeli targets in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Reports suggest that Israel’s Mossad intelligence service submitted the request to conceal particularly sensitive military sites. This latest development comes alongside Israel’s $45 million propaganda contract with Google, highlighting the tech giant’s role in advancing Israel’s agenda while obscuring the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Manufacturing denial

The September 2025 contract, exposed by Drop Site News, tasked Google with running a six-month global propaganda operation through its ad platforms, YouTube and Display & Video 360. Labeled hasbara—state propaganda—the campaign’s central message was blunt: “There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie.” Millions of views were generated worldwide, even as the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas.

Weaponizing propaganda amid starvation

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that more than 420 Palestinians, including nearly 150 children, have  died from hunger and malnutrition as a result of Israel’s blockade on food, fuel, and medicine in the wake of its nearly two-year war on the enclave. 

Instead of reversing course, Israel spent tens of millions on paid ads to deny famine and attack the credibility of international organizations like the UN and UNRWA. Contracts indicate an additional $3 million was spent with Elon Musk’s X and around $2 million with Outbrain/Teads to amplify similar narratives.

From Knesset debate to corporate contract

The propaganda strategy was first debated openly in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on March 2, the day the total blockade on Gaza was announced.

Lawmakers focused not on civilian suffering, but Israel’s “image problem.” IDF spokesperson Avichai Edrei suggested a digital campaign to “explain that there is no hunger,” a plan now realized through Google’s $45 million contract.

Whitewashing ministers advocating starvation

The campaign runs alongside public calls by Israeli ministers to starve Palestinians:

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: “No water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender.”

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu: “Palestinians need to starve… if there are civilians who fear for their lives, they should go through the emigration plan.”

Google’s platforms amplify messages erasing these openly genocidal statements from global view, projecting a false narrative of abundance.

Project Nimbus and hidden maps

These propaganda efforts build on January 2025 revelations of Project Nimbus, where Google and Amazon provided Israel with AI, cloud computing, and battlefield tools. By mid-2024, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate acknowledged Nimbus’s direct contribution to combat operations: “Thanks to the Nimbus public cloud, phenomenal things are happening during the fighting… these things play a significant part in the victory,” said director Gaby Portnoy.

The latest reports regarding Mossad’s request to Google to obscure satellite imagery of sensitive sites in Israel, combined with its role in propaganda operations, demonstrate the company’s dual function: powering battlefield operations while erasing the visibility of strategic targets.

Two-pronged complicity
Silicon Valley’s role in Gaza goes beyond just technology—it extends into shaping narratives as well. On one hand, tech companies provide the hardware of war: AI, cloud computing, and battlefield tools that assist in targeting and military operations. On the other hand, they provide the software of deception: platforms like YouTube, X, Outbrain, and Google Ads that spread propaganda, deny famine, discredit the UN, and even suppress satellite imagery.

Western media silence
The UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has warned that Google profits from the ongoing violence in Gaza. In response, Google co-founder Sergey Brin has dismissed the UN’s concerns as “transparently antisemitic.” Meanwhile, much of the Western media has echoed Israeli talking points, leaving independent outlets, such as Drop Site News, to reveal the tech giant’s involvement.

Since October 2023, Israel’s siege and attacks have claimed the lives of nearly 65,000 Palestinians. Beyond the battlefield, this devastation depends on Washington’s political backing and active collaboration from Silicon Valley.