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Campaign challenges ceasefire
Palestinians launched the TheyLiedToYou campaign to challenge the false narrative that the “ceasefire” ended Israel’s genocide on Gaza, with Al Jazeera’s Nada Qaddour explaining why they say the war never really stopped.
Activists said the campaign was launched in Arabic and English on 16 July and aimed to bring renewed attention to scenes of Palestinians being killed by Israel and to multiple forms of suffering caused by starvation, displacement and disease.
The initiative coincided with an escalation in Israeli attacks on Gaza, including assassination strikes and bombardments that killed and wounded dozens of Palestinians, among them women and children.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal directly challenged the validity of the truce, saying, "They lied to you when they said there was a ceasefire in Gaza."
Numbers and testimonies
The campaign’s participants pointed to Gaza Health Ministry figures, with TRT World saying Israel has killed 1,127 Palestinians and wounded 3,643 others in its violations of the ceasefire agreement.
TRT World also cited that the genocide has left more than 73,000 people killed and over 173,000 wounded since 8 October 2023, while activists argued the war and humanitarian tragedy had not ended.
In a staged clip described by Yeni Safak English, Palestinian activist Osaid al-Kahlout showed an activist with a sign reading "The war is over" before revealing the campaign hashtag.
Al-Kahlout said, "They lied to you. They said the scene was over, that Gaza had disappeared from the news, and that the sound of bombardment had faded."
Control, crossings, and stakes
Activists said Israel now controls 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, expanding its occupation beyond the 53 percent stipulated in the ceasefire agreement reached on Oct. 10, 2025, and they framed the continued fighting as proof the truce is not real.
Yeni Safak English reported that Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said a genuine ceasefire would mean "the killing stops, the bombardment falls silent, children sleep without fear, and people return to their lives," while he argued air strikes continue and civilians pay the price daily.
The campaign also drew on testimonies from Gaza children, including a child connected to medical tubes in a hospital who said, "They lied to you and said the war was over. There is still war, hunger, destruction, bombardment, and the loss of loved ones and neighbours," and added, "Those who say the war is over are liars."
In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that the campaign was launched to challenge the claim that the ceasefire ended Israel’s genocide, with activists saying the decline in international media coverage does not mean the war has stopped.
