Hamas and Israel face off on the social media battleground
CTV
As war is waged on the ground, Hamas and Israel are also fighting a modern-day conflict on the social media battleground. For weeks now, both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces have been producing and sharing their own content as they fight for the hearts, minds and support of the global community.
As war is waged on the ground, Hamas and Israel are also fighting a modern-day conflict on the social media battleground.
For weeks now, both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces have been producing and sharing their own content as they fight for the hearts, minds and support of the global community, says Kaitlynn Mendes, a sociology professor at Western University.
“Social media really gives both sides the power to tell their own story, to frame the conflict with their own agenda,” says Rogers, who notes, “If we think of this as a larger PR campaign, they want to get international support, they want to get the public’s support for continuing military operations.”
One example of the communication battle happening in real time occurred on Oct. 17. On that day, reports surfaced that Gaza's Al -Ahli Hospital was hit by a missile, resulting in a large number of fatalities and injuries. Hamas immediately blamed Israel, protests erupted and the incident even led to Arab leaders cancelling an emergency meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden that was scheduled to take place in Jordan.
Online and on the streets, people from across the globe condemned Israel. Hours after the incident, Israel issued a denial, as they released their own satellite images online claiming the hospital was hit by Islamic Jihadists who misfired a rocket from inside Gaza.
Though, by the time Israel issued their denial, which was backed by the U.S. Department of Defense, who cited their own intelligence, the opinions of many were seen in protests across the world and on social media. The public had already made up their mind.