After a joint investigation, journalists uncovered that more than 40 Israeli war‑zone animations presented since October 7, 2023 were largely assembled from commercial 3‑D assets and public photos, not covert intel.
Al‑Sheikh Hospital claim
One animation suggested a Hamas command centre inside Gaza’s largest hospital. The visual was posted on military and prime‑minister channels, viewed by millions, yet no evidence of such a facility was found.
Commercial 3‑D libraries fuel the war narrative
Documentaries identified over fifty recurring assets—parking lots from Washington, a workshop from a Scottish maritime museum, and storefronts from the United States—that appeared in the footage without any attribution.
Scottish museum and Washington elements
Animators purchased packages from online marketplaces for $100‑$200 each, and some free repositories. The Scottish Marine Museum’s Creative Commons resources were also used, re‑contextualised as weapons depots in Gaza, tunnels in Beirut, and Iranian nuclear sites.
Reused uranium‑enrichment model sparks outrage
A widely circulated video purporting to depict Iran’s Natanz enrichment centre repeated a single 3‑D model over 150 times. The same assets also appeared in a bombing simulation of a Gaza skyscraper, underlining the reuse of staged scenes.
Military response to the findings
Israel rejected the accusations as baseless, claiming the visuals simply illustrate a proven fact: terrorist groups hide assets within civilian infrastructure.
