03.11.2026 06:40
Former female soldier Ayelet Kroizer, who served in the Israeli army, admitted that information about military operations in Gaza and the West Bank was manipulated when presented to the public. Stating that innocent Palestinians were labeled "terrorists" and that she personally prepared statements about attacks in which dozens of civilians were killed, Kroizer claimed that the army directed public perception instead of conveying the facts.
Ayelet Kroizer, the new spokesperson for the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, shared with the public on her X account what she experienced during her service in the Israeli army. Kroizer, who said she grew up in the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish community, stated that three years ago she canceled her military exemption and joined the army during the war.
Kroizer, who said she believed she was defending her country when she joined the army, used the following statements: “At the time, I joined the army believing that I was defending the state. At the end of my military service, I never would have guessed that I would work for the Breaking the Silence organization.”
“I SAW HOW THE FACTS WERE MANIPULATED”
Kroizer, who stated that during her service in the Israeli Army Spokesperson's Unit she witnessed how military operations in Gaza and the West Bank were presented to the public, argued that the army focused on shaping public perception rather than conveying the facts.
Kroizer said: “I saw the extent to which the army spokesperson controls public perception of reality and how it manipulates the facts in a problematic way. They act not like an institution accountable to the public, but almost like a public relations company.”
The former soldier stated that the main goal of the army's communication activities aimed at the Israeli public was to increase the public's trust in the army, while the public's right to receive accurate information was kept secondary. Kroizer, who claimed that statements aimed at the international public were prepared to lend legitimacy to military operations, said that the facts were ignored in this process.
“WE LABELED INNOCENT PALESTINIANS AS TERRORISTS”
Kroizer, who stated that she personally took part in preparing statements served to the media, explained that innocent Palestinians were also described as “terrorists.” The former soldier, who said the statements were changed according to the target audience and the message to be conveyed, described what she experienced during her service in these words:
“During my service, I manipulated the details published in the media. I saw how the word ‘terrorist’ was also attached to innocent Palestinians, and how statements were shaped according to the target audience and the designated purpose. I have never been able to remain silent in the face of injustice, but here I found myself forced to do public relations for injustice.”
“PREPARING DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR DOZENS OF PEOPLE WAS MY DAILY ROUTINE”
One of the most striking parts of Kroizer's statements was the announcements prepared regarding civilians killed in attacks in Gaza. The former soldier, who described preparing statements about incidents in which dozens of people lost their lives in a single attack, said that standard expressions stating regret over harm to civilians were added to these texts.
Kroizer used the following statements: “I learned to draft the death announcements of dozens of people in a single attack, and then automatically add the sentence ‘we regret the harm to civilians not involved in the incident.’ This was part of my daily routine.”
CALL FROM FORMER SOLDIER: DO NOT STAY SILENT
After her experiences in the Israeli army, Kroizer joined the Breaking the Silence organization and called on other soldiers who served during the war to share what they experienced. She concluded her statement with the words: “That is why I will not stay silent. If you also served during the war, do not stay silent either.”
The Breaking the Silence association also supported the former soldier by quoting Kroizer's post. In the statement from the association, the following expressions were included: “Ayelet, we could not be prouder and happier that you joined us. The time has come to shout the truth about the occupation.”