Disinformation Campaign Targets Family of Channel 12 Journalist Guy Peleg Ahead of Elections

A coordinated disinformation campaign has targeted the family of Channel 12 journalist Guy Peleg, with Telegram channels spreading false claims against his children. On August 19, the channel "Mivzakei Israel" falsely accused Peleg's daughter, Roni, of passing military base information to Iran, reaching around 60,000 followers within minutes. This attack follows a similar smear against his son, Uri, two weeks earlier, where the same channels alleged that Uri created a musical work insulting the Israeli flag and anthem and disparaging religious texts and supporters of the Kahanist movement. These claims were also baseless and intended to manipulate public opinion ahead of the upcoming elections.

The disinformation quickly spread across multiple Telegram channels, including "Diyukim Online," "News in Real Time," "Israel News Without Censorship," "Southern News on WhatsApp," and "Command Center Without Censorship," reaching over 100,000 followers within two hours. The channels further amplified the falsehoods by highlighting Uri's relation to Guy Peleg, deepening the smear campaign against the journalist's family.

The organization Fake Reporter, which monitors disinformation in Israel, warned that these are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic and efficient network designed to flood the public sphere with lies and hatred ahead of election day. Such influence operations target journalists, political activists, and government critics. Guy Peleg, a legal analyst, has faced ongoing incitement, attacks, and even threats to his life over recent years, with hostility emanating from propaganda channels and some government elements as part of a sustained campaign against him and his journalistic work.