International investigative platform Clash Report has revealed allegations that a UAE-linked campaign offered financial payments to American influencers to promote messaging against Palestinian resistance, particularly Hamas, amid Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
According to the platform, leaked direct messages showed a US$1,500 offer made to a mid-level American online commentator in exchange for publishing pre-written messages concerning Hamas.
The proposed campaign sought to promote a narrative linking the Islamic movement to what was described as security threats in Europe.
Clash Report said screenshots published online by pro-Israel American commentator Angela Van Der Pluym showed that Loay Alshareef, a prominent advocate of the Abraham Accords based in the UAE, contacted her privately to request the publication of specific content.
The offer reportedly outlined a paid initiative intended to disseminate a particular narrative, while explicitly portraying Hamas as a direct extension of the organisation.
US$1,500 for Two Pre-Written Posts
According to the available details, Alshareef offered US$1,500 for two customised posts focused on what the proposed messaging described as an Islamist threat to European security.
He also allegedly supplied pre-written text claiming that Jordan had recently foiled a plot aimed at destabilising the state.
The prepared texts also referred to what they described as an “Islamist threat” to European security, alongside allegations that Jordan had recently disrupted a plot intended to destabilise the country.
The leaked messages triggered wider controversy over the use of financial incentives to direct influencer content and manufacture digital campaigns designed to shape public opinion through individuals who outwardly appear independent on social media platforms.
The disclosure emerged after Van Der Pluym, an American commentator known for her pro-Israel positions, published screenshots that she said documented the contact and the financial offer she received.
According to Clash Report, the messages indicated that the initiative did not merely involve a general request to publish content. Instead, it included specific political messages prepared in advance, raising questions about digital influence campaigns that recruit online personalities to distribute political and security narratives.
Loay Alshareef and the UAE Connection
Loay Alshareef is a prominent Abraham Accords activist based in Abu Dhabi and has nearly 220,000 followers.
Born in Saudi Arabia to an Egyptian father, he regularly speaks at Western universities and before the European Parliament. He portrays Hamas as the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood while praising the UAE’s zero-tolerance position towards Islamist movements.
Clash Report said Alshareef’s repeated appearances alongside American and Israeli officials, together with a 2022 Jewish Insider report stating that he owns an Abu Dhabi public relations company serving government and private clients, were key reasons the US$1,500 direct message was viewed as potentially more than a purely personal initiative.
The published exchange prompted commentary from academics and other observers, who cited it as an example of network-building strategies designed to recruit external digital voices.
According to the platform, the structure of the messaging was consistent with broader thematic efforts aimed at framing regional political Islam as a comprehensive security threat.
The leaked messages also prompted discussion among academics and observers over what they described as strategies to build local networks capable of recruiting outside digital voices and using them to distribute specific political messages.
Such strategies rely on the reach of influencers, whose content can reach large audiences without always appearing to be part of an organised political campaign.
