'Never again’: Tel Aviv's controversial billboard campaign

The 'Civil Front' organization, which works to restore Israeli citizens' confidence in the state's security forces, has launched a broad billboard campaign throughout Tel Aviv in order to show support for IDF soldiers and Israel Police officers.

The giant billboards, which were created using AI, feature images of the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, including Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif, Khaled Mashal, Yahya Sinwar, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, and Hassan Nasrallah, as they are beaten, defeated, and captured by the fighters of Israel's security forces. 

Above the fighters is the inscription in English, "NEVER AGAIN," a testimony to the terrible massacres that were carried out in Israel on October 7, 2023. At least 1,400 Israelis were murdered in Hamas's surprise attack against Israel, with over 5430 injured and over 200 taken hostage to Gaza.

October 7 was the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust, making the use of the phrase "Never Again" all the more poignant. Some versions of the billboard also include the words “We love you, we trust you,” written next to the fighters in Hebrew, a strong message of faith in and support for Israel's security forces. 

The chairman of the Civil Front, Ofer Rosenbaum, stated "We are proud and trust the security forces. We received a heavy blow, but from here we are all united against our enemies. We will continue to work to ensure that the State of Israel will come to terms with everyone." 

These are the first billboards in Israel to be made with AI technology. The billboards have three main purposes - to restore the Israeli public's confidence in the ability of the security forces to keep citizens safe, to remind the security forces and leadership of the importance of reassuring the people, and to restore the deterrence power of the State of Israel in the face of its enemies. 

"We must rise from the great pain and the huge rift created here and unite because we have no other way," Ofer Rosenbaum stated. 

"This campaign is just the first of a series of events that will be held in the near future, the purpose of which is to restore the confidence of the Israeli people in the security forces, and above all to provide a morale and guarantee that the State of Israel will be able to continue to operate in Gaza as long as necessary, when the only interest that stands before its eyes is its own security interests." 

Public reactions 

Israelis have had mixed reactions to the billboard campaign. 

Simona Yaloz, 65, observed the billboard from across a highway and told The Guardian she was disgusted by the image.

“I hate it, really, it’s not the Israeli attitude,” Yaloz said. “This is very extreme, it’s too violent. There are extreme people here but we’re trying to avoid it.”

Shiran, who only gave one name when she spoke to The Guardian, said she and her husband were supportive of the billboard campaign. 

“We both smiled when we saw it. I think we’ve been too kind and too nice for too long. We’ve let people outside of Israel tell us what we can and can’t do."