Türkiye combats disinformation amid Israel-Palestine conflict

Türkiye's Communications Director has addressed the growing issue of misinformation and disinformation campaigns that have come to the forefront during Israel's aggression on Palestine.

"Türkiye calls on everyone, including state institutions and news outlets, to act responsibly to avoid worsening the situation and deepening the crisis," Fahrettin Altun said on Thursday on X.

His statement came in response to a baseless propaganda campaign circulated by Israeli local media and mainstream Western media outlets, further propagated by certain heads of state who opted to disregard its refutation by official sources.

"The unfortunate events unfolding in the Israel-Palestine conflict are being manipulated by various organised groups through misinformation campaigns. By sensationalising the news and fabricating facts, dishonest actors try to misguide audiences for their political goals," he added.

'Beheaded babies' deception

Earlier this week, a baseless instance of misinformation that quickly spread worldwide, showed the challenges surrounding information propagation amidst the intensified Israel-Palestine conflict.

It was alleged that Hamas fighters had beheaded Israeli babies during the early Saturday morning attack it had launched from Gaza.

Later, it emerged that this assertion lacked any factual basis.

The Israeli army's spokesperson's unit told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday that the Israeli Army has no information confirming allegations that "Hamas beheaded babies". "We have seen the news, but we do not have any details or confirmation about that," the spokesperson said.

Even the US President Joe Biden made remarks in which he claimed he had seen "confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children".

In his remarks, while addressing Jewish leaders at the White House on Wednesday, Biden said: "It is important for Americans to see what is happening. I have been doing this for a long time. I never thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children."

On Thursday, an administration official told CNN neither Biden nor the administration had seen pictures or confirmed reports of children or infants beheaded by Hamas. The official clarified that the President's remarks referred to public comments from media outlets and Israeli officials.

Call on news sources 'to report responsibly'

"As we have seen in the past few days, unsubstantiated claims and fake stories can inflame the feelings of audiences worldwide, resulting in chaos," Altun said in his statement.

Türkiye's Directorate of Communications is focused on fighting disinformation regardless of its source, he announced, emphasising the crucial need for international audiences to access accurate information during this dangerous time of heightened regional tensions and military conflict.

"I have instructed both our fact-checking and news analyst teams to be extra vigilant at this extremely sensitive time," he stated.

President Erdogan underscored on Wednesday the critical importance of all parties exerting maximum efforts to prevent civilian harm. With his statement, Altun further echoed this call, emphasising the need for the international community to have access to accurate information regarding civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis.

Türkiye calls upon all news sources "to report responsibly and sensibly according to the highest journalistic standards," the statement added.

"This necessity becomes particularly serious in times of conflict when real lives are at stake, and misinformation can exacerbate an already terrible situation on the ground."

Altun said that the Directorate of Communications is "working ‘round the clock" to counter disinformation, adding that it aims to prevent potentially disastrous consequences of inflammatory and invented stories.

"Misinformation can make problems even more intractable and solutions increasingly difficult."