Israeli soldiers, as well as the military itself, are trying to influence the narrative of the Middle East by posting thirst traps on TikTok.
Influencer Natalia Fadeev has raked in millions of followers due to her striking semblance to Gigi Hadid combined with her coquettish facial expressions.
Fadeev has also cultivated a brand as an Airsoft shooting game enthusiast, maintaining a separate Instagram account sponsored by a tactical gear store.
In addition to strategically building and monetizing her own personal brand, Natalia Fadeev is also a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces and much of her page is devoted to pro-Israeli content.
Earlier this month she posted a video of Israeli soldiers playing soccer with Palestinian children. In another, Fadeev dances and smiles at the camera while the caption reads, “When they tried to destroy your nation but you ended up having one of the most powerful armies”.
In the midst of the current turmoil in Gaza, which has left 13 Israelis and over 240 Palestinians dead, many people criticized Fadeev’s content for the light-hearted tone and use of her physical beauty to distract from the current political conflict.
Fadeev has a long history of using her social media platforms to spread what is widely considered nationalist propaganda. She’s a member of the Alpha Gun Angels, an Israeli gun-modeling and social media marketing agency that features former and current IDF soldiers showing off heavy military artillery while sporting crop tops and camo pants.
And Fadeev is not the only IDF soldier who’s gone viral for their pro-Israeli military cheerleading. Last week, Yael Deri, whose TikTok bio describes her as a member of the Ta’oz battalion in the IDF, caused some controversy by lip-syncing to the Harley Quinn quote from Suicide Squad – “What was that? I should kill everyone and escape?” – while brandishing her gun and smiling at the camera.
While its unclear what the IDF’s official stance on such content is, the military has guidelines restricting “unbecoming online content”. However, Yael Deri herself has been featured on the official IDF TikTok page, and her own page is still active.
