Graphic pro-Israel ads spotted in kids' video games: Report

According to a Reuters report, there have been cases in Europe where graphic videos and messages were shown as ads in mobile games played largely by kids. 

There have been at least six cases across Europe where graphic ads that showcase Hamas gunmen, rockets and pro- Israel messages were shown inside children's games like Subway Surfers, Stack and Solitaire: Card Game 2023. 

The report says that these ads were also played inside the popular "Angry Birds". Rovio.HE, the game's developer told the agency that, "somehow these ads with disturbing content have in error made it through to our game and are now being blocked manually."

The report further states that Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' head of digital, David Saranga, has confirmed that the video was a government-promoted ad, however has no idea about how these videos landed up into children's games. 

The footage inside the ad was part of a larger advocacy drive by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which according to the report has spent $1.5 million on internet ads since Hamas' Oct. 7 in southern Israel that ignited a war in Gaza. Saranga says officials had specifically instructed advertisers to block it for people under 18. 

Reuters in its report says that it has contacted 43 advertising firms that Rovio listed on its website as third-party data partners to try to ascertain who placed the ad in the games. Out of which, Amazon, Index Exchange and Pinterest say they were not responsible for the ad appearing on Angry Birds. The Israel Ministry has also spent money on advertising platforms like Taboola, Outbrain and Alphabet.

Reuters further states that there have been efforts from Palestinian authorities as well "to sway public opinion by sharing evidence of suffering in Gaza under the Israeli bombardment that followed the Oct. 7 attack," but their authorities did not say whether it was using advertising as a tool.