Israel-Hamas conflict, a “field day” for extremist groups across the board

ISD’s Head of Research & Policy, Far-right and Hate Movements, Jacob Davey, spoke to iNews about extremists groups’ varying reactions to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, describing it as a “field day.”

“We’ve seen established extremist movements capitalise on the conflict, including white supremacist, neo-Nazi groups who are advocating for direct violence against Jewish people in Western countries,” he said. “We’ve also seen Islamist groups capitalise as well. We’ve seen these communities promoting pro-Hamas content, justifying attacks on Jews and calling for assassinations.” Jacob further explained that what is “most surprising” is that white supremacist groups have been sharing Hamas material in their calls for violence against Jewish communities.

The far left and “progressive movements” have also been pushing some antisemitic narratives, with some posts suggesting that the 7 October attack was a “false flag” to advance Israeli goals. “Some are celebrating it as an act of legitimate resistance,” he said. “Antisemitism is coming from all angles.”