Through Zuckerberg’s Russian application, Hamas videos invade the Internet

On October 7, the Hamas movement broadcast video clips of its fighters parachuting into Israel on its Telegram channels, as well as other clips that then spread like wildfire on smartphones.

The movement exploited the private, encrypted messaging app, founded by Russian-born businessman Pavel Durov, known as the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg,” and used by 800 million people to spread its propaganda.

During the first month of fighting in southern Israel and Gaza, Hamas propaganda messages and videos quickly spread on the app.

In the early days of the war, Hamas channels broadcast footage of its fighters parachuting into Israel, according to a report in British newspaper The Telegraph.

The channels also posted graphic images of Hamas fighters or video clips of them bombing tanks via drones.

Clips documenting violations against civilians

With the Israeli attacks, Hamas has increasingly used its social media channels to highlight videos of civilian victims of Israeli attacks.

In the days following the Hamas attacks, the popularity of Telegram channels associated with or in solidarity with the movement increased.

The official account of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, added half a million followers on the app with minute-by-minute updates of the battles. The official Hamas account adds 100,000.

As for the Gaza Now channel, which the Atlantic Council accused of being “biased with Hamas,” it has nearly two million subscribers.

Clips published by Hamas via Telegram (Reuters)

Telegram is moving

But after the initial deluge of Hamas videos and posts, Telegram decided last week to restrict several Hamas-linked channels.

Such posts are prohibited by the policies of the Apple and Google App Store, where you can download the Telegram app.

For its part, a Telegram spokesperson said it had shut down “dozens of channels that contained direct calls for violence.” The spokesperson added that these videos “violate Apple and Google guidelines.”

While the campaign may hinder the speed at which Hamas videos can spread, the movement is now looking for alternatives.

The owner of Telegram defends himself

The owner of the Russian app initially defended its decision not to block Hamas channels, saying this could help protect civilians. Durov provided an example of this when Hamas used the app to send a warning to civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area ahead of its rocket attacks on October 13.

It also confirmed that Telegram does not “algorithmically promote shocking content” on its app, as users only receive messages from channels they specifically follow.

He claimed this made him a “unique source of first-hand information”, although online safety campaigners denied this.

From Gaza (Reuters)

Increase in the number of users in Israel

After the outbreak of the conflict, the application saw a surge in popularity in the region, and the average number of users in Israel increased by 25% compared to a four-week average, according to Sensor Tower estimates.

Interestingly, Durov launched the Telegram application in 2013 with a focus on privacy and censorship resistance.

Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov (Reuters)

The 39-year-old left Russia in 2014 after Moscow cracked down on his former internet company.

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