Israel paid social media influencers up to $7,000 per post to shape U.S. opinion on Gaza war

By bellecarter // 2025-10-03

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The Israeli government has been covertly funding social media influencers to sway American public opinion on Israel's military actions in Gaza. Influencers were paid up to $7,000 per post as part of a $900,000 campaign managed by Bridges Partners, a Washington, D.C.-based firm. This initiative, running from June to November, involved 14-18 influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
The revelation of this campaign raises significant ethical concerns about foreign governments secretly funding online propaganda targeting American audiences. The lack of transparency in the campaign, including the identities of the influencers and the exact breakdown of payments, adds to the ethical issues.
Bridges Partners, the firm managing the campaign, has ties to Israeli intelligence and spyware firms. Its legal counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, previously represented NSO Group, a controversial Israeli spyware firm. Additionally, the firm enlisted a former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, suggesting close alignment with Israeli military messaging.
This campaign is part of a long-standing strategy by Israeli lobby groups and government-backed initiatives to cultivate favorable media coverage in the U.S. Since the 1960s, these efforts have often framed criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
The use of paid influencers by the Israeli government highlights the growing weaponization of social media in geopolitical conflicts. The lack of transparency in these campaigns raises urgent questions about accountability, free speech and the integrity of public debate.

In a covert effort to sway American public opinion on Israel's military actions in Gaza, the Israeli government has been paying social media influencers up to $7,000 per post, according to newly uncovered financial records. The campaign, managed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and executed through a Washington, D.C.-based firm, Bridges Partners, deployed influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram as part of a broader $900,000 initiative running from June to November. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly referenced these influencers in a recent meeting, calling them a key part of Israel's "fight back" strategy in U.S. media. The revelation raises ethical concerns about foreign governments secretly funding online propaganda targeting American audiences. Documents filed under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reveal that Bridges Partners invoiced Havas Media Group Germany, an international agency contracted by Israel, for an "Influencer Campaign" totaling $900,000. The funds covered payments to 14-18 influencers as well as production costs, though the exact breakdown remains undisclosed. After accounting for administrative expenses—including legal, banking and marketing fees—an estimated $552,946 was allocated directly to influencers between June and September 2025. Based on Bridges Partners' projection that influencers would produce 75-90 posts in that period, each post could net between $6,143 and $7,372. Neither Havas nor Bridges Partners responded to requests for comment identifying the influencers involved or confirming individual payments. The campaign, dubbed the "Esther Project," shares its name with a Heritage Foundation initiative targeting critics of Israel—though any connection remains unclear. (Related: Israeli government targeting U.S. influencers, commentators and journalists over their opposition to Gaza genocide.)

Ties to Israeli intelligence and spyware firms

Bridges Partners, co-founded by Yair Levi and Uri Steinberg, operates out of Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood and describes its mission as fostering "cultural interchange between the United States and Israel." However, its legal counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, previously represented NSO Group, the controversial Israeli spyware firm linked to surveillance of journalists and activists. Additionally, Bridges enlisted Nadav Shtrauchler, a former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson unit major, suggesting close alignment with Israeli military messaging. The campaign follows another Israeli-backed influence operation exposed earlier this year, in which Tel Aviv-based firm Stoic was paid $2 million by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs to manipulate U.S. discourse on Gaza through fake social media accounts. That operation, launched after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, targeted both progressive and conservative Americans with tailored propaganda. Israel's use of paid influencers is the latest in a decades-long strategy to shape Western narratives. "Since the 1960s, Israeli lobby groups and government-backed initiatives have worked to cultivate favorable media coverage in the U.S., often framing criticism of Israel as antisemitic," Brighteon.AI's Enoch noted. The rise of social media has allowed for more direct—and less transparent—outreach, bypassing traditional journalism. The revelation that Israel paid influencers thousands per post underscores the growing weaponization of social media in geopolitical conflicts. As governments increasingly turn to covert online campaigns, the lack of transparency raises urgent questions about accountability, free speech and the integrity of public debate. With the U.S. already grappling with foreign disinformation—from Russian election interference to Chinese state-backed troll farms—the Israeli operation adds another layer to the global battle for digital influence. For American audiences, the challenge remains discerning authentic voices from those quietly funded by foreign interests. Watch the video below that talks about Netanyahu demanding that social media hide starvation in Gaza. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

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Ties to Israeli intelligence and spyware firms

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