Media coverage of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Mainstream media extensively reported on the conflict, emphasizing the human toll and challenges faced by journalists and news platforms.[1] However, distinguishing fact from fiction proved difficult due to the conflict's intricacies.[2]

The BBC was criticized by journalists[3][4] and the UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps,[5] for using the term "militants" over "terrorists" to refer to members of Hamas, which the British government considers to be a terrorist organization. The BBC responded with a statement saying that to report objectively, they would not use the term "terrorist" without attribution, and that they had featured contributors who have described Hamas as terrorists.[5][6]

Social media has played a major part in sharing information about the conflict, especially platforms like TikTok where war-related videos have garnered billions of views. As of 10 October 2023, the hashtag #Palestine has some 27.8 billion views, and the hashtag #Israel has 23 billion on TikTok.[7] The documentation and spreading of information of the conflict is not a new phenomenon with multiple clips showing the continued conflict going viral since the app was first public.[8] However, this has also resulted in the dissemination of misleading information and propaganda.[9][10][11] Hamas has posted shock videos about the hostages and the kidnapped.[12]

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) additionally has a profile on TikTok, which had 1.7 million followers in 2021.[8] Hamas has been barred from most social media sites and are unable to post on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; however, some content from the group has been posted on other sites such as Telegram, where an account reportedly aligned to Hamas would post photos and videos in support of Hamas or documenting their actions, per the Atlantic Council.[13]

Some people who have posted in support of Palestine or the civilians impacted by the bombing campaign in Gaza have raised claims that they are being purposefully censored or their posts being restricted from being seen by a broader audience. Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters have raised claims that Facebook and Instagram have suppressed or removed posts that did not break the platforms' rules.[13] One user on Instagram reported that her Instagram Stories posts about developments in Palestine were receiving fewer views and did not appear on her friends' accounts, her user name became unsearchable and friends were unable to interact with her posts. The user's report is apparently one of hundreds according to social media watchdog group 7amleh, the Arab Center for Social Media Advancement, who have raised claims that social media websites are shadow banning content related to the conflict. A similar trend was seen during May 2021 where there was a series of escalations in Palestine.[14]

On 13 October, Meta restricted access to the Instagram account of photojournalist and influencer Motaz Azaiza after he shared footage of the aftermath of an Israeli bombardment that killed 15 of his family members. Access was restored on 14 October.[15] Instagram's "see translation" feature erroneously added the word "terrorist" to some Palestinian users' bios;[16][17] the issue was later fixed and Meta issued an apology.[17]

In mid-October, the Communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would meet with TikTok's parent company ByteDance following complaints from Malaysian TikTok users that content containing words like Hamas were removed by the social media company.[18][19]

So platforms saw trends spreading misinformation or mocking the conflict and the plight of others. An Israeli special effects and makeup artist drew ire and contempt from other users after posting a video of her pretending to be an Palestinian mother pleading for help before calling cut. Another part of the video shows her applying bruises with makeup with many calling out the insensitivity it showed.[20]

Messaging apps such as Telegram have been utilized to share information regarding the conflict. Nonetheless, these platforms have been criticized for inadequate content moderation, enabling the dissemination of violent videos and false information.[9]

X (formerly Twitter) was criticized by the European Union for not taking action against fake news spreaders in the website.[21]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, there was an incident involving the suspension of three Muslim journalists from MSNBC: Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine, and Ali Velshi. The network's decision coincided with escalating tensions in the Gaza Strip. Hasan's show on Peacock, Mohieddine's scheduled appearances and Velshi's anchoring duties were all affected. Despite the changes, MSNBC maintained that these were coincidental and not indicative of any sidelining. The incident sparked a debate about potential religious bias, with critics suggesting that the anchors were targeted based on their faith.[24][25][26]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Meta, Facebook's parent company, suspended the Palestinian Quds News Network (QNN), the largest Palestinian news page on its platform. QNN, which had both Arabic and English news pages and 10 million followers, reported on the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The network criticized the suspension as a violation of freedom of opinion and expression and claimed it was in alignment with the Israeli government.[27][28][27]

Accusations of double standards in media coverage of conflicts have emerged. Critics said that Ukraine's right to self-defense is often commended by international leaders, yet the same support is not always extended to Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza.[34][35] Jordan's Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, has similarly accused the international community of applying "double standards" when it comes to Palestinians.[36]

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting published images of the capture of commanders of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Azerbaijani army in September 2023 as the capture of Israeli commanders by Hamas.[37][38][39] Mohammadreza Bagheri, a presenter at Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, called for the killing of more children, women, old women, the wounded and every single person who lives in Israel.[40][41][42][43][44]

On 19 October, The Guardian announced the dismissal of editorial cartoonist Steve Bell, who had been contributing to the newspaper since 1983, after he made a caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a scalpel and preparing to make a Gaza Strip-shaped incision in his abdomen. While Bell said it was inspired by a similar caricature of US President Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War, he said he was accused of antisemitism for allegedly evoking the “pound of flesh” demanded by the Jewish character Shylock in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.[45]