Turkish communications director highlights Israeli disinformation campaign at Anadolu panel

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – One cannot remain indifferent to Israeli's disinformation campaigns because it would lead to normalization of its crimes, the Turkish communications director said Tuesday.

Speaking at a panel hosted by Anadolu, Fahrettin Altun said: “With events like this, the work we do in the field, and the images we collect, we will document Israel's massacres not as 'alleged' but as 'concrete evidence, proven war crimes.' Our effort is in this direction."

“Today, Israel is committing a major genocide crime in Gaza. Israel has committed and continues to commit many serious crimes recognized under the Rome Statute, especially genocide.

“Genocide is not merely a mass killing activity. Genocide is a comprehensive attack on the material and spiritual existence of a people. Israel is not only massacring the people living in Gaza collectively but also committing a cultural genocide to destroy the region's spiritual existence,” he added.

“Israel is trying to completely wipe out the existence of a people with their culture, traditions, customs, and entire memory. The Israeli attacks on the Rafah area, where people have been driven into by Israel under the guise of a so-called safe zone, in recent days, are a blatant example of its genocide policy. Today, humanitarian law is also completely ignored and violated by Israel in Gaza,” Altun said.

The top official also drew attention to the importance of Anadolu's book containing photographs proving Israeli crimes in Gaza, which was presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Underlining Israeli efforts to conceal its massacres in the Gaza Strip, Altun said: “For this purpose, Israel is pursuing a comprehensive disinformation campaign, orchestrated by the state itself, to normalize the brutality and barbarism it imposes on Palestinians, particularly in Gaza.”

"If we become desensitized, truths and facts will be replaced by lies and fake news. If we become desensitized, we would have normalized Israel's crimes and prevented its punishment," he added.

“Our center for countering disinformation has disclosed nearly 200 disinformation efforts by Israel since Oct. 7,” Altun said, referring to the Türkiye Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation.

Altun recalled that Israel directly targets and murders journalists who try to convey the truth in the region. "It cannot be a coincidence that 75% of the journalists killed in 2023 lost their lives in Gaza.”

So far, 130 journalists have been killed by Israel while they were on duty, including Anadolu cameraman Montaser Al-Sawaf, he added.

“We will make every effort to prevent Israel's activities aimed at concealing the truth and distorting reality from succeeding," Altun said. "Unfortunately, while we exert these efforts, a considerable portion of the Western media is also making intense efforts to make Israel's massacres invisible.”

- Panel on Gaza

Anadolu on Tuesday hosted a panel that discussed war crimes committed by Israel which were analyzed through the lens of international criminal law.

The panel, dubbed as The Genocide in Gaza: New Evidence, was held at Anadolu’s headquarters in the capital Ankara and extensively examined all dimensions of the case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The panel featured journalists and academics.

Anadolu reporters have documented and publicized war crimes committed by Israel against Gaza since Oct. 7, with photographs captured by Anadolu photojournalists being utilized as evidence at the ICJ.

The images were compiled into a book titled "Evidence" and presented to the public.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 29,000 and injured over 69,000 others.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Seda Sevencan from Istanbul contributed to this story