Beyond Connectivity: Factual and Moral Context of the Internet Disruptions Following Hamas Attacks from Gaza

Since the inception of the Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL) more than two decades ago, we share the global vision of a reliable, safe and inclusive Internet for the benefit of individuals and communities. Following the grave allegations made by members of the Internet community and various media outlets, which portray Israel, and not Hamas, as the enemy of fundamental rights and morality in this war, it is our professional duty to present the full picture of what is happening in Gaza and in Israel.

Readers of headlines over the past few weeks might mistakenly think that the world is currently witnessing yet another round of the familiar violence between Hamas and Israel, the former firing rockets from Gaza, the latter responding in air raids. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The horrors that Hamas unleashed on Israel surpass anything Israel and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have ever seen. On October 7, approximately 3,000 Hamas militants and supporters burst through Israel’s border and went door to door deliberately murdering civilians of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. Their coordinated mission: the slaughter and incineration of civilians. Hamas terrorists invaded house after house, street after street, and executed civilian residents, not before they were brutally abused, in many cases murdering entire families. Houses whose residents tried to lock themselves into safety were set on fire. Those who tried to escape were murdered outside.

And this does not begin to sum up the list of horrors. Simultaneously, Hamas raided an outdoor festival near Kibbutz Re’im, killing more than 260 of the festival’s participants. And the death toll continues to rise as mutilated, incinerated bodies continue to be identified. Dozens of the participants were taken hostage, their kidnapping documented and circulated through social media. Young women were treated with barbarism and presented as trophies to chants of “Allahu Akbar”. An Israeli child is shown being brutalized, screaming for his mother. Since that terrible day, Israeli cities have been regularly bombed by Hamas missiles, tens of thousands of Israelis have been displaced from their homes, or lost their homes, and Israeli citizens in large parts of the country are called to stay in shelters.

In only one day, with remarkable organization and precision, Hamas and Palestinian militants from Gaza slaughtered, raped, and mutilated at least 1,200 people (including women, babies and the elderly), severely injured over 4,500, and abducted more than 240 hostages, almost all of them civilians, including people with disabilities, chronic diseases, children, grandparents and even a 9-month-old baby.

The unimaginable actions described above constitute gross violations of international law and human rights. Such actions, particularly when they involve children, are universally condemned and necessitate urgent attention and action.

Now over a month into the conflict, the hundreds of hostages taken from Israel to Gaza are still completely cut off from the Red Cross or any other humanitarian aid, as confirmed by the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, many digital media and organizations denounce only the killing of children in Gaza, with resounding silence on the children brutally murdered in Israel and currently held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza. There is little to no mention of the tens of thousands displaced from their homes in Israel in the face of continued attacks from the North and the South of the country, nor of the millions of Israelis living in constant, immediate fear of rocket fire and the potential recurrence of October 7.

Hamas and its affiliated terror organizations – Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB) – have long used communications technology, including social media platforms, to their advantage in the dissemination of terrorist, anti-Israel disinformation and propaganda and the coordination of terrorist operations. They now use the mass dissemination of gruesome images of their attacks to instill terror in the Israeli population, and to glorify their murderous achievement among their supporters and in the face of their Palestinian rivals. The impact of Hamas’s social media strategy is not to be taken lightly–the official Hamas Telegram channel tripled its following in the days after the attack.

With this context in mind, the professional community cannot simplistically address this situation as an “Internet Shutdown”, according to the Internet Society policy and the global commitment to protect human rights and democratic values against terrorism. In particular, it is crucial to avoid the creation of inaccurate and one-sided impressions about Israel’s “regularly imposed” Internet shutdowns, in order to avoid assigning blame or inferring intent without proper context. As a matter of fact, recent data shows only temporary disruptions, in parallel to the ongoing physical warfare to retrieve the civilians abducted by Hamas and other Palestinian militants from Israel to Gaza (unlike the Internet Society’s definition of Internet shutdowns, as a governmental or political attempt by authoritarian governments to control the flow of information or silence domestic criticism). And all the while, Israel has gone to extraordinary lengths, not seen in the history of modern warfare, to avoid civilian casualties (see: “INTERNATIONAL LAW AND OPERATION SWORDS OF IRON” (International Legal Forum, 9.11.2023) and “Israel is acting proportionately against a terrorist enemy“).

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As we extend our deepest sympathies to all innocent civilians affected, we also urge all organizations and outlets releasing reports surrounding these events to present a morally balanced picture of the crisis. We at ISOC-IL are fortunate and proud to be active members (it is no coincidence that the word for “members” in Hebrew is also the word for “friends”) of the Internet community since its inception. We contribute significantly to the bridging of the digital divide in Israel, working hand in hand with Arab community leaders and professionals to ensure that the Internet-related needs of Israeli communities are being addressed, and our ccTLD registry and Internet Exchange work year-round to ensure safe and uninterrupted internet for all. More information on ISOC-IL’s emergency activities since the Hamas terror attacks from Gaza is available here: https://en.isoc.org.il/about/news-room/october-2023

Sincerely, with hope for better days for all in our troubled region,