• Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) and the Israel-Hamas War

    Promoters of conspiracy theories and hate are using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) to create misleading content about the Israel-Hamas war. This not only amplifies confusion and hate on social media; it can also cause some to doubt the validity of actual war images, creating unnecessary suspicion at a time of deeply polarized public opinion.

  • Fact Check: AI Fakes in Israel's War Against Hamas

    Real or fake? Images generated by artificial intelligence have become a disinformation tool in the war between Israel and Hamas. DW’s fact-checking team shows you how to spot them.

  • What Jan. 6 Revealed About QAnon and Militias

    Beginning 3-4 years ago, the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters — the three extremist anti-government militia groups playing a prominent role in the 6 January attack on the Capitol — have adjusted their ideological perspective to find a rallying point around QAnon conspiracy theories. “Throughout 2020, as members of extremist groups coalesced in what researchers have termed a ‘militia-sphere,’ their messaging latched on to QAnon conspiracy theories.”

  • Civilian Deaths and Proportionality in the Israel–Hamas War

    Hamas invites civilian casualties by its positioning of military assets, and now that it knows that Israel’s risk tolerance is well beyond anything it has seen before, it likely sees outcries over more civilian casualties leading to a ceasefire as its only chance of survival. And Washington hopes that Israel can inflict grievous damage on Hamas before the White House will have to acquiesce to public opinion and back some kind of ceasefire. Israel, Hamas and Washington are all accepting of civilian casualties in Gaza—they only differ in how many and why.

  • The Hamas Networks in America: A Short History

    Individuals and networks providing various forms of support for Hamas have been active in America for decades. Internal Hamas documents and FBI wiretaps show the existence of a nationwide Hamas network engaged in fundraising, lobbying, education, and propaganda dissemination dating back to the 1980s.

  • “Backlash Effect”: Why the Middle East Conflict Triggers Hate Crimes in the U.S.

    In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, a wave of antisemitism and Islamophobia has swept across the United States, putting American Jewish and Muslim communities on edge. There has been a staggering 312 cases of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault during the first two weeks of the war, a nearly five-fold increase from the same period last year.

  • Al-Aqsa Storm Heralds the Rise of Non-state Special Operations

    The surprise, brutal 7 October attack by Hamas has sent shockwaves around the world. Israel’s surprise was deeper than a combined intelligence and operational surprise. Leo Blanken, Ian Rice, and Craig Whiteside write that “It was failure of imagination.” What Israel missed “is the growing democratization of technology, which is rapidly providing new and dangerous capabilities to non-state actors.”

  • What the Israel Defense Forces Can Expect When It Enters the ‘Gaza Metro’ Tunnel System

    Israel’s military commanders will know that this is unlikely to be a simple operation. Among the factors complicating their mission of eliminating Hamas is the “Gaza Metro”, a vast network of interconnected tunnels within the region. Having invested heavily in subterranean infrastructure over the years, Hamas is counting on this network to aid its survival in the coming weeks. These tunnels are defended, booby-trapped and likely to be populated with human shields and hostages as well as fighters, they will be challenging for even a well-equipped and capable attacking force.

  • Israel: Beyond Deterrence

    The logic of nuclear deterrence does not apply to deterring organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. It is this different type of deterrence that failed on 7 October 2023 and which may now never be restored. Israel now has been forced to look beyond deterrence. It has now concluded that it is dealing with an entity that has never truly been deterred and can’t be deterred in the future. This is where the other flaw in Israel’s past deterrence strategy becomes painfully evident. It has not been accompanied by a more positive political strategy.

  • How to Deal with Visual Misinformation Circulating in the Israel-Hamas War and Other Conflicts

    In the three weeks since war began between Israel and Hamas, social media has been taken over with images and stories of attacks, many of which proved false. I have, of late, been studying the ethics of viewing photos and videos of war and atrocities in situations where falsification of imagery is widespread. A principal lesson of this research is that users of social media have significant power to influence the content they receive and thus bear some responsibility when they consume and share false information.

  • Antisemitism Has Moved from the Right to the Left in the U.S. − and Falls Back on Long-Standing Stereotypes

    Traditionally, antisemitism in the United States was promoted by far-right organizations and movements which focused on propagating traditional antisemitic narratives alleging Jews’ racial inferiority, their control of the financial sector, and their role in global cabals aiming to undermine America and Western civilization. In the last thirty years, however, the ideology underlying antisemitism in the U.S. has come to encompass both sides of the political spectrum. Progressive and left-leaning movements that are critical of Israel’s policies, especially with regard to the Palestinian population, have become linked to antisemitic practices, too.

  • Threats to U.S. Jewish, Arab, Muslim Communities on the Rise: DHS, FBI

    Hostilities in the Middle East are reverberating in the United States, where homeland security and law enforcement officials are tracking a steady increase in threats to Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities. CBP warned that operatives with links to three U.S.-designated terrorist organizations — Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah — might try to enter the U.S. along its southern border.

  • Most Americans View War in Afghanistan as Not Worth Fighting, Unsuccessful

    Two-thirds of adults say the American war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting, and more adults view Afghanistan as an adversary than an ally. Less than a quarter of adults say the U.S. was successful in developing a functioning government or improving opportunities for women in Afghanistan.

  • Working with Banks Around the World to Prevent Weapons Proliferation

    Most banks have no interest in facilitating a risky weapons sale or contributing to instability in the global landscape. But most are either unaware of the issue or do not know how to address it. Through live and virtual events, the financial sector is learning how to avoid inadvertently facilitating illicit weapons trade.

  • Israel’s Ground War Against Hamas: What to Know

    A major ground campaign in the Gaza Strip will display Israel’s overwhelming military force, but the country faces a steep challenge in its goal of eradicating Hamas, as well as in finding a workable post-combat plan for the territory.