October 18, 2023 | NYT
Pro-Hamas, Terrorist content racks up millions of views on X
Following the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, ISD observed an influx in highly violent, sometimes illegal, content on X praising Hamas and its armed al-Qassem Brigades. In one 24-hour period, ISD identified 128 posts on X glorifying and supporting terrorist content linked to the attack in southern Israel on 7 October. In over a dozen cases, the content was branded under the iconography of al-Qassem Brigades, a designated terrorist group within the EU, likely rendering it illegal under EU regulations. These posts amassed over 16 million views during the study period.
Our rapid investigation features in the New York Times‘ article on how pro-Hamas content is spreading online despite restrictions against the designated terrorist group.
“The European Union said it would examine whether X violated a European law that required large social networks to stop the spread of harmful content. X did not respond to a request for comment,” wrote the NYT.