Terror Video Distributed via Hostage Account... Hamas Calls It "Weaponization of SNS"

Israeli hostages are being transferred to the Gaza Strip
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 17th (local time) that Hamas is using a "new tactic" of weaponizing the social media accounts of hostages kidnapped in the war with Israel.

Shortly after Hamas's initial attack on Israel on the 7th, relatives and friends of Idan Gali Shlezinger, who lived in a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip border, received a message from Idan saying, "Check Facebook."

Without suspicion, they accessed Facebook and saw shocking posts on Idan's account. Hamas was live-streaming for 45 minutes the scene of Idan and his family being held hostage. The NYT reported that "Hamas is seizing the social media accounts of kidnapped Israelis to spread violent messages and conduct psychological warfare."

According to the report, at least four hostage accounts were confirmed to have been hijacked on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp chats to live-stream terrorist videos and issue murder threats. The NYT said, "The way Hamas uses the hostages' social media accounts is causing greater shock to those close to the hostages."

Experts analyzed that while Hamas has used social media for political propaganda before, using the personal accounts of hostages to maximize fear is a "new tactic" in this war. Thomas Reed, a professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, said, "(Hamas) is weaponizing social media in ways we have never seen before," adding, "We are not psychologically prepared for this." A Facebook official also stated, "Hamas accessed the Facebook accounts of Israelis taken hostage to conduct live broadcasts and post messages. This appears to be part of Hamas's strategy from the moment of the attack."

It is analyzed that Hamas uses the hostages' accounts because, unlike accounts associated with themselves, there is less immediate risk of being blocked, and it allows them to maximize their violence.

Since the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, Meta, Facebook's parent company, has deleted up to 800,000 posts including violent content and fake news and has blocked accounts. It is also known to have established a special response team composed of experts fluent in Hebrew and Arabic to closely monitor the rapidly evolving situation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.