A disturbing new trend on TikTok has gone viral, featuring Israeli content creators mocking the plight of Palestinian children in Gaza. The videos, which have sparked widespread outrage, depict individuals pretending to solicit donations for children in Gaza as part of an elaborate prank, often provoking hostile and aggressive reactions from unsuspecting participants.
Mocking Donations for Gaza’s Children
One of the widely shared videos features Israeli influencer Yakir Bar Zohar approaching strangers and asking for donations to help starving children in Gaza. When one man expresses willingness to contribute, Bar Zohar reacts in shock, questioning whether he truly wants to donate “to the children who are going to be terrorists.”
Other similar videos have surfaced on TikTok, showing young Israeli creators and even soldiers participating in the trend. One clip, captioned, “We pranked my father (an extreme right-winger) that we donate money for children in Gaza,” features a soldier calling her father and asking him to donate. His response is filled with anger, exclaiming, “Let them go to hell and everyone who contributes to them.” After revealing that the call was a prank, the soldier laughs along with her friends.
Extreme Reactions Caught on Camera
Another viral video shows a young Israeli woman calling her mother to ask for donations for “innocent children in Gaza.” The mother responds with a hateful tirade, denying the existence of innocent children in Gaza and wishing them “death in agony, death in bad agony, in stoning, that they will burn in hell.” The clip, reportedly shared by MiddleEastEye, has intensified the outrage online.
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
The Gaza conflict has left an overwhelming impact on children, with thousands suffering from injuries, displacement, or death. Reports indicate that at least 14,500 children have been killed, while thousands more have been wounded. Additionally, around 17,000 children have been separated from their parents, and nearly one million have been forced to flee their homes. By October 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza estimated that over 35,000 children had lost one or both of their parents.
Mixed Reactions Online
While many social media users condemned the insensitive pranks, a significant number of netizens applauded the trend. One user commented, “This should be the opinion of every sane citizen in the country and in the entire world,” receiving over 1,000 likes. Another user wrote, “I love this trend, I’m dying,” while others described it as “offensive, racist, humiliating – I am loving it.”
International Backlash Expected
The viral trend has drawn sharp criticism from human rights activists and international observers, who argue that it dehumanizes Palestinian children suffering from war. Calls are growing for TikTok to take action against such content, which many consider to be hate speech and a violation of the platform’s policies.
Sources By Agencies
