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Augst 27, 2025 – Palestine –
An investigative exposé by +972 Magazine and Local Call reveals that the Israeli military established a clandestine unit—dubbed the “Legitimisation Cell”—with a disturbing mandate: to collect intelligence that smears Gaza-based journalists by falsely portraying them as Hamas operatives, effectively rationalizing their targeting in airstrikes. This tactic is widely viewed as a propaganda tool—part of Israel’s broader hasbara (public diplomacy) strategy—rather than a legitimate security measure.
The operation of the “Legitimisation Cell” is both calculated and chilling. Following heightened international condemnation over the killing of reporters, the unit allegedly scoured for any fragment of intelligence—however tenuous—that could be used to tarnish a journalist’s credibility. A source tells France 24 that its key function is “to undermine the work done by Palestinian journalists and provide the excuse to kill them.”
Reports by The Guardian paint a similar picture: after October 7, 2023, the IDF created this cell specifically to identify reporters it could label as militants, thereby deflecting global outrage over media-targeted killings.
High-profile cases like the killing of Al Jazeera’s Anas Al-Sharif further underscore the cell’s deadly effectiveness. Following his death in an airstrike, Israeli authorities circulated intelligence—self-attributed to this unit—claiming he had been embedded with Hamas as early as 2013, despite no evidence of involvement after 2017.
France 24 adds that the smeared accusations routinely follow killing campaigns: “tactics are ‘alarming’: eventually, the threat becomes reputational as well as physical—stripping journalists of protection and support.”
In summary, mounting evidence paints a disconcerting picture: the “Legitimisation Cell” operates less as an intelligence asset and more as a weaponized PR machine—producing justifications after the fact to legitimize the lethal silencing of journalists. The revelations highlight how disinformation tactics are being extended to control narratives in the world’s deadliest war for media workers.
Reference –
Israel Has a Secret Military Unit That Smears Palestinian Journalists
