The 2018-19 Gaza Fence clashes: a case study in psychological warfare

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Abstract

This article examines the violent clashes between Hamas and Israel along the Gaza Fence (30 March 2018–27 December 2019) from a psychological operations (PSYOP) perspective. It shows how Hamas managed, through a skilful combination of mass riots, media manipulation, and quick adaptation to changing circumstances to subvert the strategic priorities of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), wear down Israeli morale, and erode Israel’s sovereignty in its southern region–all this while deterring Israel from launching a large-scale military operation in Gaza. As such, the Gaza Fence clashes provide an example of a PSYOP-based strategy that can be applied to other border conflict zones, such as Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Islamist insurrections.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)357-372
Number of pages16
JournalIsrael affairs
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Gaza Strip
  • Hamas
  • IDF
  • Israel
  • PLO
  • PSYOP
  • Palestinians
  • psychological warfare

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