Israelis mock Palestinian children on TikTok with 'prank calls' asking for donations

Israeli content creators have started a disturbing trend on TikTok, mocking children in Gaza by making prank calls to collect donations in their names.

These creators, mostly young people, pose as representatives of humanitarian organisations and make prank calls to their friends and family, asking for donations for Palestinian children.

The recipients, unaware of the joke, often react with anger and frustration, only to learn that it was all a prank. These videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views, drawing criticism over the insensitive and disrespectful nature of the content.

Israeli social media influencer Yakir Bar Zohar shared a video in which he asked passersby for donations for children in Gaza. When a man agreed to the donation request, Zohar surprised him and asked him if he was sure he wanted to donate "to the children who are going to be terrorists".

Read: Israeli soldiers mock Palestinian children by playing with their clothes inside their homes in Gaza

In another video, a soldier made a prank call to her extremist right-wing father, pretending to solicit donations for Gaza's children, saying, "They deserve care too." Her father unleashed a vitriolic response, wishing harm on the children and cursing those who would help them. The soldier then reveals the prank, bursting into laughter.

Numerous videos with millions of views circulated on TikTok, and more were posted by young people, teenagers, and soldiers.

Israel's war on Gaza has had a catastrophic impact on children, with devastating numbers of casualties, displacement, and trauma. 

At least 14,500 children lost their lives, and thousands more were injured, while approximately 17,000 are now without parental care or separated from their families.

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The conflict forced nearly one million children to flee their homes, and by October 2024, over 35,000 children had lost one or both parents, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The humanitarian crisis was further exacerbated by severe hunger and the risk of famine, which a UN expert described as an "intentional and targeted starvation campaign" by Israel. 

According to the UN, this campaign was reportedly "killing more people than bombs and bullets." The situation was dire, with children facing unprecedented levels of trauma, displacement, and suffering.