The chief of communications for a human rights monitoring organization, who also bills himself as a Gazan writer and analyst, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, contending that people in Gaza are posting their wills to social media platforms.
The tweet from Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2), an author with Blinx as well as the chief of communications with Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, claimed, “People in Gaza are posting their wills, last words & pleas for forgiveness if they’ve ever wronged anyone in any way.”
People in Gaza are posting their wills, last words & pleas for forgiveness if they’ve ever wronged anyone in any way.
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) October 12, 2023
Israel killed 1417 Gazans, inc. 447 children & 248 women in 6 days.
Everyone believes it could be their turn next; either from an airstrike or starvation… pic.twitter.com/hRnq8BCbCB
The tweet went on to claim, “Israel killed 1417 Gazans, inc. 447 children & 248 women in 6 days. Everyone believes it could be their turn next; either from an airstrike or starvation…”
The tweet showed screenshots of four different social media users, writing in Arabic on their platforms, which Shehada appeared to present as proof of the phenomenon.
The alleged activity comes amid an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with Israel appearing to ready its military for a ground assault on the Palestinian territory.
Shehada’s tweet was met with a number of replies, some backing Palestine in the conflict and others backing Israel.
Redditor u/Ok_Count_3237 shared a screenshot of Shehada’s tweet (without identifying him as the author) on the r/Palestine subreddit, along with the observation, “This is truly depressing,” before opining, “The West is supporting this.”
Though a number of people on both platforms believed Shehada’s tweet and responded in kind, X is received increased scrutiny for misinformation circulating about the conflict.
Al-Jazeera reported Thursday that “the European Union has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X social media platform over the spread of disinformation and violent content about the Israel-Hamas conflict. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, on Thursday filed a binding request for information to determine if the platform complies with the rules on illegal and harmful content.”
That article went on to note, “X, which has slashed its content moderation team under Musk, has come under particular scrutiny after an EU study found that it was the worst-performing platform for combatting disinformation.”
People in Gaza might be finding it more challenging to carry out this or any other social media activity in the coming days. The Intercept reported Thursday that “intense fighting and electrical shortages have strangled Palestinian access to the internet, putting besieged civilians at even greater risk,” pointing out that Israel’s response to the initial Oct. 7 Hamas attack “left the two million Palestinians who call the area home struggling to connect to the internet at a time when access to current information is crucial and potentially lifesaving.”
NBC News is among a number of news outlets reporting early Friday that “Israel’s military has told people in northern Gaza to leave” in anticipation of a potential ground offensive. However, a United Nations spokesperson said such an exodus was impossible without “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Shehada via X DM and u/Ok_Count_3237 via Reddit chat.
