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Denial of the October 7 attacks

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Since the October 7 attacks, which initiated the ongoing Gaza war, there has been a spread of conspiracy theories, largely antisemitic and on social media, focused on the argument that the attacks or elements of the attacks were falsified or exaggerated.[1]

Background

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militant forces led by Hamas coordinated multiple armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Following a wave of rocket attacks on Israel, militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking Israeli military bases and carrying out multiple massacres of Israelis. In total, 1,139 people were killed in the attacks, and 251 were abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip, beginning a hostage crisis. The course of the attacks was well documented, with militants extensively recording their actions with body cameras.[2]

Nonetheless, various debunked and disputed reports of atrocities during the attacks were described by Haaretz as providing "ammunition" to deniers.[3] Some reported atrocities attributed to Palestinian militants were later proven false, among them the supposed killing or beheading of babies and toddlers.[3][4][5] The extent of sexual violence perpetuated by militants, or whether there was a weaponized use of sexual violence at all during the attacks, has also been the subject of intense debate and controversy.[4][6][7][8] Furthermore, according to Ynet, an "immense and complex quantity" of friendly fire incidents occurred during the attacks;[9][10] Israel also likely applied the Hannibal Directive, resulting in the killing of up to 12 as they were being transported into the Gaza Strip and accidentally killed two other Israeli civilians. However, claims that Israel killed more than 14 Israeli civilians remain without evidence.[11][12][13]

Spread

The spreading of falsehoods and misleading narratives that disputed that Hamas was responsible, or claims that minimized the violence that occurred, began to spread after the attack.[14][15] Common claims are that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) completely staged the attacks to justify an invasion of the Gaza Strip, and that all or most Israelis killed during the attacks were slain by the IDF itself.[1]

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, malign actors spreading disinformation 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".[16] Some incidents of friendly fire by IDF soldiers and kibbutz security teams against civilians attempting to flee or were captured and taken into Gaza during the attacks were corroborated later.[17][18]

Researchers see parallels to disinformation surrounding the September 11 attacks, which some fringe groups argue was perpetrated by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Joel Finkelstein of the Network Contagion Research Institute 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 cast Israel as solely responsible for the October 7 attacks are part of a broader strategy by antisemitic extremists to undermine Jewish suffering.[14]

These claims were found across the Internet, including on the Reddit subforum 'LateStageCapitalism' and on publications critical of Israel such as The Electronic Intifada and The Grayzone. They have also been popularized by right-wing Holocaust deniers, including Owen Benjamin, and far-right conspiracy theorists. The claims are based on cherry-picked evidence to push misleading narratives.[14] A Telegram instant messaging group, which had also shared content and conspiracies relating to foreign policy and the COVID-19 pandemic and had nearly 3,000 people on it in January 2024, pushed content and conspiracies blaming the attack on Israel.[19]

In March 2024, the Israeli firm CyberWell, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor, analyze and combat antisemitism on social media, reported it had found about 135 separate posts, which had been viewed by more than 15 million users, that denied the October 7 attacks. The company found that almost half of the identified posts were from Twitter, with others posted to Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.[20]

In January 2026, the British parliamentary standards commissioner opened an investigation into MP Iqbal Mohamed over October 7 denial.[21]

Responses

Hamas has taken full responsibility for its leadership of the October 7 attacks.[22][23][24] The group released a report in January 2024 about the attacks titled "Our Narrative", which claims that its armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, avoided harming civilians, yet admits "some faults" occurred as a result of the general chaos and rapid collapse of the Israeli defenses.[25]

Emerson Brooking from the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council compared denial of the October 7 attacks to Holocaust denial. Brooking also stated that extremists will work to attract people who are concerned about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip towards misleading information and conspiracy theories, and that "a rewriting of history" is occurring.[14] Jennifer V. Evans has also tied the denialism surrounding October 7 to Holocaust denial.[15]

Gideon Levy has compared October 7 denial to Nakba denial, and arguing that many Israelis also deny killings of civilians in the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[26] Gil Gan-Mor said that denial of both the Nakba and the October 7 attacks must be combated through education.[27]

Legislation against denial

The Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs approved a bill aimed at penalizing denial of the attacks, imposing up to five years in prison for such acts on February 5, 2024. The bill, which 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.[28] The Association of Civil Rights in Israel said the law will have a "chilling effect on freedom of speech".[29][30]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Dwoskin, Elizabeth (January 21, 2024). "Growing Oct. 7 'truther' groups say Hamas massacre was a false flag". The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ Tolan, Casey; Ash, Audrey; Chapman, Isabelle; Merrill, Curt. "Slain Hamas militants' body camera videos show the preparation and tactics behind their terror attack on Israel". CNN. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Hasson, Nir (December 4, 2023). "Hamas Committed Documented Atrocities. But a Few False Stories Feed the Deniers". Haaretz. Retrieved December 5, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. 1 2 Unit, Al Jazeera Investigative (March 21, 2024). "October 7: Forensic analysis shows Hamas abuses, many false Israeli claims". Al Jazeera. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ Chance, Matthew; Greene, Richard Allen; Berlinger, Joshua (October 12, 2023). "Israeli official says government cannot confirm babies were beheaded in Hamas attack". CNN. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  6. ↑ Philp, Catherine; Weiniger, Gabrielle (June 7, 2024). "Israel says Hamas weaponised rape. Does the evidence add up?". The Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (June 12, 2024). Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (Report). Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ Pokharel, Sugam; Nicholls, Catherine; Yeung, Jessie; Karadsheh, Jomana (June 12, 2024). "Inquiry says Israel and Hamas have both committed war crimes since October 7". CNN.
  9. ↑ Zitun, Yoav (December 12, 2023). "One-fifth of troop fatalities in Gaza due to friendly fire or accidents, IDF reports". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023. Casualties fell as a result of friendly fire on October 7, but the IDF believes that beyond the operational investigations of the events, it would not be morally sound to investigate these incidents due to the immense and complex quantity of them that took place in the kibbutzim and southern Israeli communities due to the challenging situations the soldiers were in at the time.
  10. ↑ Cook, Jonathan (December 15, 2023). "Why is western media ignoring evidence of Israel's own actions on 7 October?". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  11. ↑ Bergman, Ronen; Zitun, Yoav (January 10, 2024). "ההוראה: למנוע ממחבלים לחזור לעזה 'בכל מחיר', גם אם יש איתם חטופים" [The instructions: prevent terrorists from returning to Gaza "at all costs" even if there are hostages with them]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  12. ↑ Bergman, Ronen; Zitun, Yoav (January 12, 2024). "השעות הראשונות של השבת השחורה" [The first hours of Black Saturday]. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  13. ↑ "UN finds at least 14 Israelis likely intentionally killed by own army on 7 October". Middle East Eye. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Dwoskin, Elizabeth (January 21, 2024). "How the internet is erasing the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Prince, Cathryn (January 29, 2024). "Are conspiracy theories about Oct. 7 a new form of Holocaust denial? Experts weigh in". Times of Israel. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  16. ↑ "How Media Outlets Like Haaretz Are Weaponized in the Fake News Wars Over Israel and Hamas". Haaretz. Retrieved February 6, 2024. 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.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. ↑ Breiner, Josh; Peleg, Bar (February 22, 2024). "Israeli Nova partygoer was misidentified as Hamas terrorist on October 7 and killed by Israeli forces". Haaretz. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Families of 13 people killed in October 7 Kibbutz Be'eri firefight demand probe". The Times of Israel. January 6, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  19. ↑ Greyman-Kennard, Danielle (January 22, 2024). "Holocaust denial finds new life in Oct. 7 revisionism". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Social media watchdog warns of trending denial of October 7 sexual violence". The Jerusalem Post. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ Turner, Camilla (January 24, 2026). "Pro-Gaza MP facing investigation over October 7 'atrocity denial'". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  22. ↑ Jerusalem Post Staff (November 1, 2023). "'We will repeat October 7 again and again' – Hamas official". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Hamas official says group 'well aware' of consequences of attack on Israel, Palestinian liberation comes with 'sacrifices'". Arab News. October 20, 2023. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  24. ↑ Hubbard, Ben; Abi-Habib, Maria (November 8, 2023). "Behind Hamas's Bloody Gambit to Create a 'Permanent' State of War". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Hamas says October 7 attack on Israel was a 'necessary step'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  26. ↑ Levy, Gideon. "Israel Has No Right to Criticize Roger Waters and Other Deniers of Hamas' Oct 7 Atrocities". Haaretz.
  27. ↑ "Why experts are concerned over Israeli bill banning October 7 denial". The Jerusalem Post. February 7, 2024. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  28. ↑ Adamker, Yadi (February 5, 2024). "Israeli Ministerial Committee approves imprisonment for denying Oct. 7". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  29. ↑ Sokol, Sam. "Knesset passes preliminary reading of bill banning denial of October 7 massacre". Archived from the original on November 16, 2024.
  30. ↑ חילאי, סיון (January 21, 2025). "מליאת הכנסת אישרה: הכחשת טבח 7/10 – עבירה פלילית שעונשה 5 שנות מאסר". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved April 7, 2025.
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