Denial of the October 7 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel is a form of disiniformation that denies that any or all of the events occured including denial that Hamas murdered civilians[1], raped women[2], or took hostages in Israel on October 7 2023. The denial campaign, initiated by Hamas officials[3] and spread by a variety of actors uses several different tactics both online and in society to undermine and falsify the historical record. [4]
According to Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post, the October 7 attack was among the most well-documented terror attacks in history, including evidence from smartphone cameras and GoPros of attacking Hamas militants. Dwoskin states that conspiracy theories exist stating that the attacks did not occur at all, or that they were false-flags.[5][6] Dwoskin writes that some Jewish leaders and researchers have compared denial of the events on October 7 to Holocaust denialism.[5]
An Israeli legislative proposal approved by the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs aims to impose five-year prison sentences for individuals found denying the events of or supporting the October 7 attacks.[7]
Background
According to the Washington Post, the October 7 attack was among the most well-documented terror attacks in history, including "a crush of evidence" from smartphone cameras and GoPros of attacking Hamas militants. By January 2024, there was a small, but growing group that denied basic facts of the attacks and spread falsehoods and misleading narratives that minimized the violence that occurred or disputed its origins.[5][8]
According to Haaretz, malign actors, "In accordance with the disinformation playbook" have purposefully decontextualized their reporting to "falsely claim that Haaretz corroborated the false theory that the IDF committed mass killings of its own people." According to Shayan Sardarizadeh, BBC Verify's disinformation expert, the "denialist narrative" that “it was Israel that killed its own civilians on 7 October, not Hamas,” has "sadly become prominent online."[9]
Spread
Jennifer V. Evans has tied the denialism surrounding October 7 to Holocaust denial.[8][5] Researchers see parallels to disinformation surrounding the 9/11 attacks, which some fringe groups argue was perpetrated by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Joel Finkelstein of NCRI stated that "there's a built-in audience that wants to deny that Jews are the victims of atrocity and further the notion that Jews are secretly behind everything." He said efforts to say Israeli was responsible for October 7 are part of a broader strategy by antisemitic extremists to undermine Jewish suffering.[5]
The claims were found across the internet, including on the Reddit subforum LateStageCapitalism and on publications critical of Israel like Electronic Intifada and The Grayzone.[5] They have also been popularized by right-wing Holocaust deniers like Owen Benjamin and far-right conspiracy theorists.[5] The claims are based on cherry-picked evidence to push misleading narratives.[5]
Emerson Brooking from the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council pointed to Holocaust denial as what may happen to October 7, despite copious real-time documentation of the attacks.[5]
Denial claims
According to Elizabeth Dwoskin of the Washington Post, the the October 7 attack was among the most well-documented terror attacks in history, including "a crush of evidence" from smartphone cameras and GoPros of attacking Hamas militants." However, "A small but growing group denies the basic facts of the attacks, pushing a spectrum of falsehoods and misleading narratives that minimize the violence or dispute its origins."[5] Dwoskin writes that some scholars and experts have compared denial of the events on October 7 to Holocaust denialism.[5]
Responses
Legal action
On February 5, 2024, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs approved a bill aimed at penalizing denial of the October 7 attacks, imposing up to five years in prison for such acts. The bill, initiated by Yisrael Beiteinu MK Oded Forer, is aimed at individuals who deny the occurrence of the massacre or attempt to justify, praise, or support the acts carried out during the event.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Hamas leader refuses to acknowledge killing of civilians in Israel". 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ Algemeiner, The (2024-03-05). "Hamas Denies UN Report Finding Terror Group Committed Sexual Violence on Oct. 7 - Algemeiner.com". www.algemeiner.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "Hamas denies it slaughtered 'children, women and elderly people' on Oct. 7". National Post.
- ^ Smith, Stephen D. (2023-12-13). "The final act of genocide is its denial". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
Before Israelis could even identify their dead, there were internet campaigns alleging their murderers didn't do it
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2024-01-21). "How the internet is erasing the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2024-01-21. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Ynet (2024-01-22). "Denial of Hamas' October 7 massacre spreads in US". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ a b "Israeli Ministerial Committee approves imprisonment for denying Oct. 7". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
- ^ a b Prince, Cathryn (2024-01-29). "Are conspiracy theories about Oct. 7 a new form of Holocaust denial? Experts weigh in". Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "How Media Outlets Like Haaretz Are Weaponized in the Fake News Wars Over Israel and Hamas". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
In accordance with the disinformation playbook, malign actors have sought to hijack and manipulate the reputation and credibility of long-established news sources. In order to establish an "authentic" grounding for atrocity denial and conspiracy theories, it is unsurprising that influencers would seize on an established Israeli outlet like Haaretz, to co-opt its credibility and misrepresent its reporting. Haaretz has reported on two instances where sources told reporters that in the midst of the massacres, IDF forces firing at Hamas terrorists may have also hit, not confirmed killed, some civilians. Malign actors have exploited this reporting, published with no context, to purposefully decontextualize it and falsely claim that Haaretz corroborated the false theory that the IDF committed mass killings of its own people. This disinformation was then shared by others – some perhaps acting with good intentions, but creating misinformation nonetheless. According to the BBC's Sardarizadeh, the denialist narrative that "it was Israel that killed its own civilians on 7 October, not Hamas," has become appallingly widespread online.
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This page was last edited on 13 March 2024, at 01:10