‘What about baby-shredding machines?’: Palestinian activist highlights creative activism to raise awareness on Gaza

​​​​​​​By Efe Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A viral undercover video from the Palestine News Network (PNN) has set off widespread debate, casting a harsh spotlight on Israeli defense contractors and reigniting questions about the international arms trade and how it has helped Israel unleash a devastating military force against Palestinians in Gaza for more than a year.

The video, which was released Wednesday, shows PNN founder Abu Rahs attending a defense expo in Washington, where he confronted Israeli arms dealers in an unconventional act of protest.

Filming undercover, Rahs boldly asked the contractors about so-called "baby-shredding machines" -- a statement that took many by surprise and triggered millions of reactions online.

The footage has quickly gained traction across social media platforms, particularly on X, garnering millions of views, likes, and reposts.

In the closing moments of the video, expo staff attempted to stop Rahs from filming. Undeterred, he continued until the police were called.

"I'm always getting threats, so nothing to write home about, but they ended up getting the police,” Rahs told Anadolu Agency, dismissing the incident with a calm nonchalance.

Rahs emphasized his creative approach to activism, explaining that the key to his work is showing the conflict from a fresh perspective in order to break the normalization of violence and suffering.

“Sometimes we all get lost in the kind of everyday flow of what we're doing. I didn't think this video would hit such a massive chord, but I think it's just important to be creative because we, the human mind, normalize everything. It's the same message, but from a new angle, new perspective because everybody has a different perspective,” he said.

The activist stressed that his approach is rooted in the belief that taking risks is often necessary to deliver powerful messages.

“A lot of times we try to recreate what we see, but sometimes it's better, even if you're a bit unsure, to just do your own, however you feel about it. And just think: what is something you'd like to see that's not being done? So just try to think about what you can do within your own framework and just be creative,” said Rahs.

Despite facing constant challenges, including heavy censorship, Rahs said the PNN will continue to push its message.

“There’s definitely heavy censorship. If you get any strong attention or momentum with anything Palestine-related, it'll probably hit some sort of censorship, you know? They deleted 10 of my TikToks since Oct. 7. So, I've been doing stuff nonstop, but they delete it. But there’ll be more coming, so everybody look out," he said.