According to the site's investigation, which is based on information from three informants, the unit is called the "legitimization cell" and was created after Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
One of the group's main tasks is said to be to search for material that can in various ways legitimize Israeli attacks on sensitive targets such as schools and hospitals, for example, signs that Hamas had bases there.
"Driven by anger"
The group is also looking for information that can link journalists in Gaza to Hamas.
The information can then be used to mitigate criticism of the number of deadly attacks that Israel has carried out during the war, according to the investigation.
The site +972, named after an area code shared by Israelis and Palestinians, is a blog collective that, according to its own statement, wants to be an alternative to established media, and conduct "intersectional and progressive" journalism.
The informants state in the investigation that the unit's working method is to lift the secrecy of material that can be used to improve Israel's international reputation. According to them, the "legitimization cell" is driven by anger towards reporters in Gaza because they "soil Israel's reputation in the world".
Political directives
But the investigation also shows cases where the intelligence unit has stopped itself when a specific reporter was to be pointed out as a fighter for Hamas.
In the end, they realized that he was actually a journalist, says one of the sources.
According to the sources, directives on which areas should be prioritized by the unit should come from the political level, and the unit's command usually also points out to its subordinates that their work plays an important role in enabling Israel to continue the war.
The idea is to be able to let the military act without being pressured so that countries like the US do not stop sending weapons, says the source.
"Not intentional"
The investigation is published a few days after Sunday's heavily criticized attack, in which Israel killed Al Jazeera's well-known reporter Anas al-Sharif and five other journalists. Israel claims that al-Sharif fought for Hamas, and has released screenshots of spreadsheets that allegedly list Hamas members to prove this. Neither TT nor other independent parties have been able to assess the credibility of these. The other five have not been attempted to be justified or explained by Israel.
According to BBC and CNN, al-Sharif worked for Hamas' media team before the outbreak of the war.
The Israeli military says in a comment to +972 that "in line with international law, we do not intentionally harm non-involved individuals and not specifically journalists".
