Journalists in Gaza say they are blocked by WhatsApp news reports on social media

Within hours of the latest ceasefire on the Gaza Strip, several Palestinian journalists found themselves blocked from accessing the WhatsApp messenger in the coastal enclave – including Al Jazeera’s chief correspondent Wael al-Dahdouh and journalist Hisham Zaqqout. and is used to communicate with the world.

According to the Associated Press, 17 journalists in Gaza confirmed that WhatsApp accounts had been blocked since Friday. As of Monday afternoon, only four journalists – who were working at Al Jazeera – had confirmed that they had recovered their accounts.

The incident is the latest move on WhatsApp owner Facebook Inc because it has left Palestinian users or their allies wondering why the company has been run or chosen for censorship.

Twelve of the 17 journalists contacted by the AP said they were members of a WhatsApp group that disseminated information related to Hamas military operations.

‘Surprising and unjustified’

Al-Dahdouh said access to WhatsApp was blocked at dawn on Friday before being re-established on Monday. The journalist said he joins Hamas groups to get the information he needs to do his journalistic work.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, the correspondent was shocked when WhatsApp received a message stating that his account is completely and indefinitely banned, in line with the declaration of a ceasefire last Friday at 02:00 (2300 GMT).

Zaqqout, a colleague of al-Dahdouh, said the ban was “shocking and unjustified” because it did not violate content guidelines and terms of use.

Zaqqout said he received numerous warnings from Facebook that his account – authenticated with the blue mark – could be deleted, saying it violated terms of use.

WhatsApp accounts were banned for three days before being reactivated on Monday after the channel’s Qatari leadership communicated with the U.S. WhatsApp administration.

“The groups and interviews were returned, but the content was deleted, as if you were joining a new group or starting a new conversation,” al-Dahdouh said. “I lost information, pictures, numbers, messages and communications.”

Al Jazeera said Gaza journalists blocked WhatsApp accounts without notifying the hosts in advance.

“Al Jazeera strongly wants to emphasize that journalists will continue to use WhatsApp accounts and other apps to gather news and personal communication,” the news network told AP. “Never before have Al Jazeera journalists used their accounts for other resources for personal or professional use.”

The war destroyed the Qatar-based Gaza network office in the war when Israeli airstrikes tore down a tower of high-rise housing and offices that housed the Associated Press offices.

Freedom of the press groups denounced the Israeli army as saying that there was Hamas military intelligence in the building for trying to censor the cover of the air strike. The Israeli military called a warning and gave the building’s occupants an hour to evacuate.

“Measures of the enemy”

Facebook and Instagram have been criticized for sharing videos and video-sharing platforms this month for removing messages and deleting the accounts of users who post protests in the occupied Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem to force Palestinians out. He pushed for an open letter signed by 30 organizations asking to know why the messages were removed.

The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Networks, or a report released at 7 a.m. this month, said Facebook approved 81 percent of requests by the Israeli Cyber ​​Unit to remove Palestinian content last year. In 2020, it realized that Twitter had suspended dozens of accounts of Palestinian users based on information from the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

Sada Social, an occupied West Bank organization that has tracked alleged violations of Palestinian content on social media, said it was gathering information about the number of journalists in Gaza affected by the recent WhatsApp decision.

It is not clear if they were targeted by journalists because they were following Hamas ads on WhatsApp.

The group is seen as a “terrorist” organization by Israel and the United States, where Facebook owns WhatsApp.

Hassan Eslayeh, freelance journalist He believes that his WhatsApp account was blocked because he thought his account was in a group called Hamas Media.

“This has affected my work and income because I lost conversations with sources and people,” Eslayeh said.

It’s not the first time he’s had issues with social media apps. Eslayeh’s Facebook page has been deleted 17 times, and Twitter and Instagram accounts have been repeatedly blocked and deleted.

He blamed these “hostile measures” against Palestinian journalists and activists for Israeli pressure, saying that the administration of these websites and apps are complicit in the Israeli occupation and are working to “drown” journalists and persecute them.

History of blocking journalists

A WhatsApp spokesman said the company is banning accounts from complying with its policies “to prevent damage as well as applicable laws.” The company said it has been in contact with the media over the past week about its practices. “We will reinstate journalists if there is any impact,” the company said.

Among those affected by the WhatsApp blockade are two Agence France-Presse journalists. The Paris-based international news service has told the AP that it is working with WhatsApp to understand what the problem is and restore their accounts.

The 11-day war caused widespread destruction across Gaza with 253 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, killed in fighting. At least 12 people were killed, including two children, in Israel.

It’s not the first time journalists have been banned from WhatsApp. In 2019, several journalists in Gaza blocked their accounts without explanation. The accounts of those who worked with international media organizations were recovered after contacting the company.

The New York Times reported that about 100 WhatsApp groups were used by Israeli far-right Israeli Jews to carry out violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

WhatsApp has said it has no access to the content of people’s personal chats, but believes it prohibits accounts when a user is informed of information that they believe could cause immediate harm. The company said it was “responding to the legal requirements of the law because of the limited information available to us.”