As fighting rages in the Gaza Strip an unprecedented 'virtual war' is being joined in cyberspace.

A furious public information battle is taking place on sites ranging from YouTube to Facebook between the Israeli state and Hamas.

It is part of an attempt by Israel's political leaders to use the internet to spread their message and has seen the country's Army, the IDF, becoming the first ever national force to set up their own YouTube channel.

More than 4,000 people have already subscribed to the IDF channel, launched on December 29, which shows constantly updated video footage of bombing raids from drones targeting Hamas infrastructure.

The Israeli consulate in New York has also hosted what is likely to be the world's first ever press conference on Twitter.

Meanwhile, on social networking site Facebook, a battle has emerged between quasi-official pro and anti-Israeli posters. One group, 'I Support the Israel Defence Forces In Preventing Terror Attacks From Gaza,' set up on Monday by a former Israeli Army veteran, has so far accumulated 22,964 members. Counter-groups have been set up opposing it.

The Hamas web operation has also sprung into action online. The group has relied on shocking images of civilian casualties taken by local media workers to rally people to its cause. The images have also been placed on Islamist websites, along with messages calling for Israel's destruction.

Hamas-supporting hackers have launched their own guerrilla conflict, targeting Israeli-run websites of all descriptions with around 300 reportedly defaced or taken offline in the first weekend of the conflict alone.

Nevertheless Hamas has produced nothing to rival the organisation and sophistication of Israel's PR war. Explaining the focus on information, Israeli military spokeswoman Major Avital Leibovich said: "The blogosphere and new media are another war zone and we have to be relevant there."

Analysing the online blitz, Israel's media says the country's focus on using the internet to put across its side of the story can largely be explained by two factors.

It is claimed that, during the 2006 Lebanon War, Israel's inability to put across its 'party line' contributed to the immediate pressure it faced to abandon its operation.

It is also felt that Israel is particularly keen to use the internet as an alternative to more traditional sit-down interviews with international television stations and media outlets because many mainstream stations are slated as being unsympathetic.

Declaring that Israel was winning its online PR war, the English-language daily The Jerusalem Post said that its presence both online and in the international media had left Israel with vital breathing space in the international arena.

"Israel has no small measure of understanding and support and even approval from many countries," Dan Gillerman, former UN ambassador told the newspaper.

"Even in the UN I didn't see anyone happy to condemn us. Unless something very dramatic happens, such as a blundered hit that kills large numbers of civilians, then we will have enough time to do what we need to do."

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