'Israeli forces are using psychological warfare against us'

Palestinians in Gaza's Deir al-Balah say that Israel is using techniques of psychological warfare in an effort to turn civilians against Gaza officials.

"At around 8am, Israeli drones dropped leaflets with images of a child they killed and the infrastructure they damaged, employing psychological warfare against us," Asmaa Barakaat, a displaced Palestinian currently staying in Deir al-Balah, told Middle East Eye. 

"They called the leaflet a 'newspaper' and titled it 'GazaNew24'. It seems that this will be one of many of this newspaper as they labelled it 'issue 1' at the top corner," the 30-year-old said.

"The extent of the killing and devastation seems insufficient for Israel. They are now adopting a new strategy to stir our emotions and instil fear within us," she said.

"In the 'newspaper', they included a phone number linked to WhatsApp, encouraging civilians to become spies for Israel," she added.