Several Danish media outlets, including TV 2, Ekstra Bladet, and Berlingske Media, have removed advertisements believed to be funded by the Israeli government due to violations of their respective advertising guidelines. The advertisements, purchased through Google’s advertising platform, lacked a clear sender and in some cases, contained content that resembled editorial material or violated policies against shocking content.

TV 2 removed an advertising video from its editorial live blog that urged Hamas to release hostages, lay down their weapons, and stop the war. The media outlet stated that the advertisement violated its guidelines, which require a clear sender and prohibit advertisements from resembling editorial content. The removal also included excluding the advertiser from TV 2’s systems.

Ekstra Bladet also experienced the same advertisements and subsequently blocked them. Berlingske Media displayed banner ads that highlighted the threat to Israel from groups like Hamas, including a quote from a senior Hamas member stating their intention to repeat the October 7th attack.

Lisbet Røge Jensen, Commercial Director at Berlingske Media, stated that the advertisement was removed due to the lack of a clearly identified sender, which is a crucial requirement for their advertising standards. Google, in response, stated that they do not allow advertisements with shocking or violent content and confirmed that they had removed some of the advertisements in question after an investigation. While the advertisements listed the sender as the Israeli Government Advertising Agency, Berlingske Media could not verify this information, contributing to the decision to remove the ads.