Hamas supporters used the crisis to push anti-Israeli, anti-U.S. propaganda on social media platforms
A caption to by verified X user WarMonitors reads: “The terror zionist regime is dropping internationally banned phosphorus munitions in the vicinity of Al Karama Towers in the Gaza Strip.”
With the Israeli crisis, WarMonitors – an account known for being profoundly antisemitic and on a disinformation analysts’ watchlist for pushing false information -- was able to dupe one of the world’s most influential personalities -- Elon Musk, the American billionaire and owner of X.
Following the Hamas attack, and one other account for timely and accurate information on the situation in Israel. Musk deleted that post three hours later, but while it was up, the post gained more than 11 million views, reposts and reactions, boosting WarMonitors’ following to nearly 750,000.
There is a key difference in WarMonitors’ narrative about Israel vs Hamas. The account frequently posts , as well as the militant group’s . Yet, in contrast with its routine description of the Israeli government and officials as “terrorists” and “extremists,” WarMonitors never calls Hamas a terrorist group or condemns its actions.
WarMonitors deleted the post a day later after other X users disputed the video's authenticity.
It should also be noted that phosphorus munitions are not "internationally banned," as WarMonitors described them. However, the use of incendiary weapons, including phosphorus munitions, against civilians is .
On October 9, that the company’s leadership had updated the platform’s policies due to the rapid increase of active users “in the conflict area” and more than 50 million daily posts globally related to the “terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.”
The “crisis” required the “highest level of response,” and several hundred accounts have been removed for “attempting to manipulate trending topics,” @X said. It also reaffirmed a real-time rating and the use of Community Notes as a tool to combat “potential misinformation.”
While thousands of anonymous social media accounts promote narratives similar to those of WarMonitors, it stands out as a vivid example of how effective and deceptive social media can be when used skillfully for propaganda and disinformation. In fact, WarMonitors represents a new “after-Twitter” trend on X, in which .
The amount of disinformation “aimed at controlling the narrative” regarding Hamas’ attack and Israel’s response is “unprecedented, particularly on X,” on October 9.
Voice of America's that Taliban reached out to Iran, Jordan and Iraq in an effort to joining Hamas and fight against Israel. This disinformation was spread on X by a fake "Taliban Public Relations" account.
Hamas’ three main state supporters also employed a strategy of trying to control the narrative. Iran maintained “non-involvement” while China and Russia claimed “neutrality.” Yet each of them pushed the narrative that best served their own interests and betrayed their sympathies.
Iran used the crisis to shame Muslim leaders and Gulf states it deemed sympathetic to Israel and the West. China focused on portraying the United States as the main villain in the story, while Russia targeted both the United States and Ukraine with disinformation designed to curb Western support for Ukraine.
On October 10, ran a piece headlined "Iran's Leader: Israel to receive ‘heavier slap’ for Gaza massacre."
It quoted the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, , as telling a joint graduation ceremony of armed forces cadets at the Imam Ali Army Officer University in Tehran earlier in the day:
"In this Oct. 7 incident, the usurping Zionist regime suffered an irreparable defeat both in terms of military and intelligence. Everyone admitted the defeat, but I emphasize irreparability. I say that this devastating earthquake has managed to destroy some of the main structures of the usurping regime's governance, which cannot be rebuilt so easily.”
The Wall Street Journal that Iran helped plot the Hamas attack.
it was in the attack.
Still, some observers have suggested that Iran used the attack as a means of undermining Israel's rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. As on October 8, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told Al Jazeera television: "All the agreements of normalization that you (Arab states) signed with (Israel) will not end this conflict."