The unexpected multiple attack by Hamas that began this Saturday has shocked Israel. The confrontation has already claimed 1,100 fatalities between both sides. The forecast is that this number will increase in the coming days and that the "war" will be long. A war that has its particular extension in the respective propaganda apparatuses.
The operation carried out by the Hamas militias has unsettled the Israeli intelligence services. The coordinated attack by land, sea and air has left the entire country in shock. Proof of this are the multiple videos of the militants' invasion of Israeli territory on X (formerly Twitter) or TikTok, especially those that show the attack on the Supernova festival, where at least 260 people died.
Other types of audiovisual material also circulate through the same networks. They are very elaborate pieces, with evident propaganda intention. They are somehow reminiscent of those run by the Islamic State at the time.
The director of the video area of La Vanguardia, Eva Niñerola, has analyzed two of these videos that are attributed to Hamas and that spread on social networks. These are her notes:
In the words of Niñerola, it is an "adrenaline edit with spectacular images that reminds us of an action movie trailer." In his opinion, "it is very designed to impact social networks and seeks to convey the epic of the war through various details." These "details" focus mainly on music and sound that achieve "a more spectacular effect."
It is important to highlight in this video that "aerial shots with drones" and "POV (point of view) with GoPro camera" are being worked on to give a subjective point of view to the images, "which takes us back to video games." Also appreciated are "aesthetic images, such as a close-up of the flag on the uniform or a sunset."
Niñerola's analysis detects the following technical material. "The blurring of the background with respect to the foreground (00:04 for example) and the images recorded in low light (00:17) makes us think that these are professional cameras with good optics and sensors."
In the propaganda use of this video, the "prominence of music, which transmits tension and adrenaline," stands out. "It is a studied edit in which the soldiers prepare the missiles and in which different shots are combined," explains Niñerola. "It is a planned shoot in which the soldiers act for the camera," details the director of La Vanguardia's video area.
In his opinion, "they have probably used a gymbal (an external stabilizer for cameras and any device that records images) which is a dolly-type tool, a tool designed to make fluid camera movements." "Plans with artistic intention" stand out. And he details these four moments:
- 00:22 We go from a close-up of the tip of the missile to the logo of the soldier's arm with a movement and a blur, synchronized with the beat of music.
- 00.35 Circular shot of the weapon, which transitions to a close-up of the label following the movement.
- 00:38 Like in a movie, shot values are combined. Close-up of a hand picking up the phone to a full shot of the same action with a blurred foreground.
- 00:43 Time remaping synchronized with the music beat.
The propaganda apparatuses are carrying out their disinformation tasks. Both when it comes to displaying war achievements and punishing the victims.
