GAZA WARDenialism in the Wake of the Oct. 7 Massacre

In the wake of the October 7 Hamas massacre, many expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians displayed anti-Israel sentiment and support for Hamas.This includes demonstrations in the Arab World, anti-Israel rallies in the United States, as well as statements by some faculty and student groups on US campuses.  

Furthermore, a survey conducted by ADL’s Center for Technology and Society found that most Americans have been exposed to hateful online misinformation and disinformation about the current war.  

However, one form of misleading propaganda effort stands out in the current war: Denialism.  

Denialism is manifested in repeated attempts to cast doubt over the events of Oct. 7, its perpetrators, their methods, the nature of its victims, its scope, or Hamas’ goals. Since Oct. 7, many anti-Israel and antisemitic voices around the world, including some in the United States, politicians, journalists and Palestinian leaders, have engaged in denialism.  

Some claim the events of Oct. 7 never took place or that Israel was the one largely responsible for the massacre.  

Others suggest that acts of rape did not at all take place or that Israel fabricated evidence against Hamas. 

Still others frame Israel’s retaliation against Hamas for the events of Oct. 7 as an unprovoked attack on Gaza.  

There are even voices who argue that Hamas was in fact benevolent to its Israeli hostages, who were grateful in return, in an effort to downplay the severity of Hamas holding hundreds of innocent people as hostages. 

This trend of promoting false narratives constitutes a gaslighting campaign through which moral clarity is blurred, Hamas is lauded and Israel is demonized. And while these assertions are most problematically made by anti-Israel leaders, they have been parroted and amplified by activists, and by those sharing or “liking” on social media.   

At a time of rising antisemitism around the world, these claims only fuel animus, and potentially attacks on Jews and Israelis worldwide. 

Below are recent examples of this phenomenon: 

Denial of the Oct. 7 events and accusations whereby Israel fabricated evidence regarding Hamas and its tactics 

·  Queens College Muslim Student Association alleged that no independent international body has concluded that “Israel’s claims of atrocities actually took place.” The group also claimed that there was “ZERO evidence that Palestinians deliberately killed women and children. There is a great deal of video evidence that they deliberately *avoided* targeting women and children.”