Israel hijacks Palestinian TV channel with propaganda depicting Hamas leaders as rats
Ali Abunimah
A video posted on YouTube shows the moment when the signal of the Al-Quds Palestinian satellite channel was hijacked by Israel to show a propaganda message directed against leaders of Hamas.
In the brief Arabic-language animation, a rat in a sewer claims that Hamas leaders have been hiding in sewers “like mice and rats.”
The video was recorded by Asem Abdul Karim.
The Electronic Intifada’s correspondent in Gaza, Rami Almeghari, said that such propaganda would be unlikely to have any impact on people there and is generally regarded with mockery.
In recent days, Israel has carried out deliberate attacks on Palestinian media, including the offices of Al-Quds TV and Al-Aqsa TV among others.
Al-Quds TV cameraman Khader al-Zahhar lost his leg in one of these attacks that have drawn widespread international criticism.
Since Israel launched its current assault on Gaza on 15 November, more than 125 Palestinians have been killed, including more than two dozen children, and more than 800 injured.
While Israel claims to be targeting military infrastructure and combatants, it has attacked, in addition to media, banks, public buildings, police stations and other civilian infrastructure and medics at Gaza City’s main hospital say that most of the casualties they see are women and children.