Telegram Responds to Hamas-Israel Conflict

Warning

The stances and views described in this report are not endorsed or supported by the InfoEpi Lab. This article links images that may contain offensive language or scenes from armed conflict. Please read and click with caution.

Examples of specific posts are in the section Descriptions of Telegram Posts. The general themes observed in the Telegram posts were conspiracy theories, alignment with the Palestinian perspective, mistrust of Israel, antisemitism, sovereignism, and distrust of authorities and international organizations. There was no standard response. Reactions were sometimes conflicting, even within groups.

General Trends

• Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation: Many channels promoted conspiracy theories involving pre-knowledge of attacks, setups, and secret motivations. There’s a significant overlap with mis- and disinformation, often linked to broader conspiracy theories outside the scope of the Israeli-Hamas conflict, such as references to 5G technology and global “control” narratives.

• Alignment with Palestinian Perspective: Generally, pro-Kremlin and conspiracy-oriented channels aligned with the Palestinian perspective; however, in each case, that seems related to groups seeing the situation as affirmation rather than concern for the Palestinians. Pro-Kremlin channels framed the conflict in terms of oppression by Israelis, frequently comparing the situation in Palestine with historical atrocities or genocides. This follows the Russian state’s myth of never colonizing anyone. Several channels highlighted Israeli deaths of civilians and at least one journalist, which the channels attributed to the Israelis.

• Antisemitic and White Supremacist Narratives: Far-right and white supremacist channels viewed the situation through an antisemitic lens, casting “the Jews” as enemies. At the same time, their stance on Palestinians wasn’t necessarily supportive; instead, it seems more likely to be related to affirming their worldviews and prejudices.

• Freedom Narratives: There’s a recurring theme of censorship (e.g., removal of Palestinian support groups and accounts by Facebook was mentioned specifically) and a strong emphasis on freedom. This stance aligns with a broader mistrust of mainstream media and official narratives.

• Distrust of International Organizations: Statements from the World Health Organization (WHO) are sometimes tied back to COVID-19 conspiracy theories or other global issues. In the case of a truck convoy Telegram channel, support from the WHO indicated that they should mistrust and not support Palestinians.

• Mixed Reactions and Internal Conflicts: Even within specific ideological groups, there’s no one response. Different channels and even individuals within channels can express diverging views on the conflict, indicative of the complexity of the issue and the varying agendas of these groups.

Rather than telling us about Israel, Hamas, or Palestine, these stances reflect how various groups sought to use the situation for personal or political gain. It may also follow a pattern. Groups opposed to mask mandates and vaccines sometimes became antagonistic toward Ukraine or sometimes even overtly pro-Putin. Here, the transition is less clear and more conflicted, although some groups have followed the pro-Kremlin line on this situation as in the past.

Descriptions of Telegram Posts

The situation became a canvas onto which groups projected their ideologies, whether that was anti-establishment, white supremacist, anti-Western, or conspiracy-minded.

• QAnon-themed and conspiracy channels like BioClandestine spread conspiracy theories about Israel’s foreknowledge of attacks, suggesting a hidden agenda to destroy Palestine. A well-known conspiracy theorist suggests that Israel created Hamas. These claims illustrate the general approach of questioning official narratives and sowing mistrust. In contrast to these posts, another QAnon channel warned about the “Day of Jihad.”

• A Canadian anti-vaccine channel shared a video of a pro-Palestine protest, seeming to align with Palestine. Anti-vaccine groups adopting a pro-Palestine stance may be following an established pattern, especially if they had no interest previously. The video shared on the anti-vaccine channel was used by others to incite fear of Muslims. These irreconcilable responses to the same video are emblematic of a polarized society.

• The Strategic Culture Foundation, a sanctioned Russian state-controlled outlet, took a strong pro-Palestinian position, labeling the Israeli state’s actions genocide. It used loaded words to compare Hamas’ actions to historical events like the Warsaw uprisings.

• Two propagandists for the Assad and Putin regimes shared content highlighting Israeli aggression, allegedly against journalists. One also blamed the British for creating the Muslim Brotherhood. Both have promoted regime narratives for Assad and Putin, denying chemical weapons use on civilians and downplaying war crimes in Ukraine.

• A conservative influencer who has spoken about the “Great Awakening” expressed anger over Facebook’s removal of pro-Palestinian accounts, framing it as censorship. It’s unclear whether the support is for the Palestinian cause, outrage at perceived censorship, or both.

• Channels known for spreading false or misleading content related to Ukraine share videos of protests against Israelis. The post gives the impression of widespread opposition to Israel.

• An author known for writing in multipolar and Russian state-controlled outlets dismissed specific stories about Israeli victims, instead promoting a conspiracy theory about weapons from Ukraine being used in Palestine. This narrative undermines Israel’s credibility and ties the denial into broader anti-Western sentiment.

• A truck convoy group tied support for Israel to distrust of the WHO, pushing COVID-19 and 5G conspiracy theories. The posts did not necessarily support Israel, though, and antisemitic posts appeared on the same channel. The logic is that Palestine aligns with “harmful” global forces. Trucker Protest channels were a source of pro-Kremlin content in 2022, so this stance might be unexpected.

• One white supremacist channel suggested that the treatment of Palestinians is a model for how “Our People” (presumably white individuals) might be treated in a subjugated future. The white supremacist channel for White Lives Matter expressed deep-seated antisemitism, framing Jews as the ultimate enemy. The convoluted logic proposes a begrudged tolerance for Palestinians, not out of genuine support, but as part of a greater antisemitic narrative.

• A video shared on a child-trafficking conspiracy theory channel denied specific claims related to the attack on Israel by Hamas. Claiming major well-documented events haven’t occurred or were secretly orchestrated by the “Mossad” or Israeli state is a common trope in conspiracy communities.

• A pro-Kremlin channel celebrated the removal of an Israeli flag at a rally, indicative of support for Palestine. The video and other content shared create the impression of global opposition to Israel. A different pro-Kremlin channel suggested Israel knowingly allowed the Hamas attack as a pretext to attack Palestine.

• Chinese state media outlet CGTN empathized with Palestine, emphasizing narratives of dispossession and aggression by “Zionist paramilitaries,” aligning with China’s geopolitical stance.