Meta bans Hamas accounts from its platforms, removes 795k contents

Meta, a parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, says it has banned all Hamas accounts from its platforms.

The development comes days after Thierry Breton, European Union industry chief, gave Meta 24 hours to present steps adopted to counter the spread of disinformation following Hamas’s attack on Israel.

Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, had attacked Israel, killed over 100 citizens, and injured several others, who are now receiving treatment in hospitals.

During the attacks, the Hamas were said to have taken scores of Israeli and foreign hostages to the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

Speaking on the invasion, Mohammed Deif, Hamas military commander, earlier said the attacks were a reprisal for Israel’s “desecration” of the Al-Agsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Deif also claimed that Israel has killed and harmed hundreds of Palestinians this year.

Many misleading claims, doctored images, and other disinformation contents have spread across social media platforms since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

In a statement on Friday, Meta said it has taken measures to remove misleading content of the attack from all its platforms, adding that issues of social and political discourse are allowed.

Meta further said over 795,000 contents have been “removed or marked as disturbing” on its platforms.

“In the three days following October 7, we removed or marked as disturbing more than 795,000 pieces of content for violating these policies in Hebrew and Arabic,” the statement reads.

“As compared to the two months prior, in the three days following October 7, we have removed seven times as many pieces of content on a daily basis for violating our Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy in Hebrew and Arabic alone.

“Hamas is designated by the US government as both a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. It is also designated under Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.

“This means Hamas is banned from our platforms, and we remove praise and substantive support of them when we become aware of it, while continuing to allow social and political discourse — such as news reporting, human rights-related issues, or academic, neut, and condemning discussion.”

Meta said its teams are closely monitoring and responding to evolving issues, adding that it has adopted some safety and security steps to reduce the spread of misinformation.