Israel False Flag Attack Conspiracy Theory

About

Israel False Flag Attack Conspiracy Theory is a conspiracy theory surrounding the October 2023 Israel-Gaza Conflict that suggests Israel either knowingly let the attack from Hamas happen, did parts of the attack themselves, either directly or indirectly, or possibly orchestrated the entire event as an excuse to invade and reoccupy the Gaza Strip. A core belief of the theory hinges on reports that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu and Israeli intelligence were supposedly aware of the threat of an attack and chose to do nothing, and the response from many Israeli officials calling for harsh retaliation against Palestine following the initial attack. While the theory is unfounded, it spread online shortly after the initial offensive by Hamas in early October 2023.

Origin

On October 7th, 2023, the day of the initial Hamas attacks on Israel, speculation among some started almost immediately as people suggested that there was something off about the attacks. For example, NBC news correspondent Tom Winter^[1] and Twitter user @FurqanShayk^[2] both posted what would become the crux of the theory: Israel's knowledge of the attack beforehand, with Tom asking how Israel didn't know and Furqan postulating that Israel was fully aware (shown below, left and right).^[7]

Spread

In the following days, the conspiracy theory would continue to gain traction online as reports from other countries and intelligence agencies began to receive media coverage. On October 9th, 2023, after reports in several Israeli and other Middle-Eastern media outlets came out suggesting that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was warned of the attacks before they happened,^[8] X user @ShaykSulaiman^[3] posted an out-of-context video clip and a condemnation of Netanyahu, which received over 3.1 million views in one day (shown below).

The conspiracy theory continued to grow over the following days, eventually splitting into two parts, with both surrounding Netanyahu. According to some believers of the theory, the question of why he and Israeli officials reportedly knew about an attack and did not take action to stop it was because it would give Israel the right to completely decimate the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, a piece of land that has been the centerpiece in a multi-decade struggle between the two countries.^[9]

For example, this theory was spread by users such as self-described journalist and X user @RachelBlevins,^[4] who posted on October 10th, 2023, detailing how many higher-ups in Israel's defense force purportedly used harsh language in what they perceived to be a justified response to the Hamas attacks (shown below).

The second part of the theory of why the attack was allowed to happen revolved around speculation that it was an attempt to garner popularity and support. Historically, Netanyahu's approval rating has been gradually diminishing over the years, and he only regained the position of Prime Minister of Israel in December 2022 after losing it in 2021.^[10]

Many conspiracy theorists online (such as on the /r/conspiracy^[11] subreddit) spread the belief that Netanyahu, reportedly aware of the attack, allowed it to happen because his retaliation and the unease of war would increase his popularity and approval rating. Further, because of this, it would be in his best interest if the attack looked especially devastating on October 7th.

Questions about the Iron Dome, often called one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world,^[12] and how it failed to stop some of the rockets that were launched also became part of the conspiracy theories surrounding the conflict shortly after it began. For example, on October 7th, 2023, X user @Inversionism^[5] posted a Joe Rogan clip about conspiracy theories while laying out their own about the Iron Dome (shown below).

During the Hamas attacks on October 7th, many different reports came in about Hamas terrorists taking prisoners, killing, raping and violating numerous Israelis.^[13] According to conspiracy theorists, this coverage helped to paint a picture of savage and cruel deaths being inflicted on innocent civilians, aiding in the calls to action against Hamas and Palestinians, with theorists suggesting that those actions were purposely played up or outright enacted by people within Hamas who were trying to give that impression to the media when they would first report on it.^[14]

In the days following the initial attack, some people who were reportedly in the zones taken over by Hamas have been interviewed claiming things were not as they were originally reported by some media outlets.^[15] For example, on October 10th, 2023, X user @TateTheTalism^[6] uploaded a news clip in which an old woman who claims to have been held by Hamas explains that she was told she was safe with them and would not be hurt, with the caption casting doubt into initial reports that Hamas had reportedly beheaded Israeli babies in captured zones (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References