Hamas terrorists belonging to the Izz ad Din al Qassam Brigades (AP)
In an apparent effort to prevent terror groups from using its social media platform to spread hate, Twitter closed the Hamas military wing’s account.
The Twitter account of the Izz ad Din al Qassam Brigades – the Hamas terror organization’s military wing – was shut down without warning Monday night, Times of Israel reported.
“Twitter closed the page following pressure by Zionist groups,” the account manager posted to the Brigades’ website, adding that it had over 140,000 followers and reached five million tweet impressions in recent months.
The Times article notes that this wasn’t the first time that Twitter accounts associated with Hamas’s military wing were shut down. During the war between Hamas and Israel in the summer of 2014, for instance, Twitter closed all of Hamas’s official accounts, although the military wing launched new accounts almost immediately.
Fighter from the Izz ad Din al Qassam Brigades (AP)
“Rather than open a new account this time, Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida urged the 194,308 followers of his own account on Tuesday to follow a separate Twitter handle operated by the terror group that has been less active in recent months,” the Times said.
According to the Times, Twitter has been trying to prevent terror groups from spreading hate messages through its network. “The social media giant, however, has come under fire for its inability to prevent the terror groups, among them the Islamic State, from simply opening new accounts.”
In fact, in a statement made on February 5, Twitter said it closed 125,000 accounts, having announced a clampdown on those used to incite jihad. “We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism and the Twitter Rules make it clear that this type of behavior, or any violent threat, is not permitted on our service,” the statement read.
By: United with Israel Staff