Amid a wave of terror attacks against Israelis, the Palestinian terror organizations – Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (the military wing of Fatah, the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority) – have been waging an intensive incitement campaign on social media, praising the terrorists and calling for further attacks.[1] This incitement takes the form of messages, videos and graphics on social media calling to kill the Jews by every means, such as stabbing, car-ramming, shooting and bombing. Some of the posts are accompanied by Quranic verses about fighting the infidels.
The following are examples from the recent days:
"Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades – Beit Ummar" Telegram Channel: "The Time Come To Kill The Jews"
A September 4, 2023 message on the Telegram channel "Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Beit Ummar" called to kill Jews by stabbing them, running them over, etc. The message starts with a verse from the Quran (8:17): " And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing." This is followed by a "brief military announcement from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade," stating, "O heroes of the [West] Bank, stab [them]. O heroes of Hebron, run [them] over. O heroes of Jenin, bomb [them]. O heroes of Jerusalem, the land is your land, what are you waiting for[?] The time has come to kill the Jews.[2] Avenge our women in Hebron and Al-Aqsa.[3] Chop off the hand extended [to harm us], strike them in the depth [of their territory]. Beware of having mercy on any of them. Fight the enemies of Allah."[4]
The post on the "Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – Beit Ummar" Telegram channel
A post on the "Pulse of the Brigades" Telegram channel, identified with the PIJ,[5] also included the words "What are you waiting for? The time has come to kill the Jews."[6] It was accompanied by a video showing footage of shooting and stabbing attacks, with text saying, "The time has come for you to carry out your attack… Strike and have no mercy. Strike now, do not wait for tomorrow."[7]
Screengrab from the video posted on the PIJ-affiliated Telegram channel. The accompanying text says, "What are you waiting for? The time has come to kill the Jews"
Screengrabs from the video posted on the PIJ-affiliated Telegram channel: footage of shooting and stabbing attacks
Video Posted On Telegram Channel Of Hamas Mouthpiece: Carry Out Attacks, "Do Not Wait For A Decision From Anyone"
On September 6, 2023, the Telegram channel of Hamas' mouthpiece Al-Risalah posted a video featuring excerpts from an April 30, 2022 speech by Hamas official Yahya Al-Sinwar and footage of several recent attacks."[8] In this speech Al-Sinwar called on the Palestinians to attack Israelis by all possible means, saying that whoever doesn't have a gun can use a knife or meat cleaver instead. He also encouraged the terrorists to act on their own initiative, as "lone wolves," and said, "Do not wait for decision from anyone."[9]
Screengrab from the video on Al-Risalah's Telegram channel: Sinwar says, "Do not wait for a decision from anyone"
Screengrabs from the video on Al-Risalah's Telegram channel: footage of various shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attacks
The same video was posted two days earlier on another Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel, with the text "Who will be our next lone wolf[?]"[10]
A video posted September 6 on another Hamas-affiliated channel calls to "stab," "shoot" and "run [them] over", with footage of such attacks. It ends with a quote from the Quran (8:65): "O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred (steadfast) they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence."[11]
Screengrabs from the video calling to "stab," "shoot" and "run [them] over"
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Gazan Sheikh Affiliated With Hamas: "The Time Has Come To Shake The Dust Off The Guns And Aim Them At The Occupiers"
Speaking at a September 6, 2023 "jihad gathering" in Khan Younis, Sheikh Muhammad bin Maher Al-'Aklouk, a member of the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Cleric's Council, praised the stabbing that had taken place that day in Jerusalem. Brandishing an axe, he called on the Palestinians of the West Bank to follow the stabber's example and carry out attacks with knives or axes. Waving a rifle, he added, “The time has come to shake the dust off the guns and aim them at the occupiers."[12]
Al-'Aklouk speaking at the gathering
PIJ-Affiliated Telegram Channels Praise, Encourage Stabbing Attacks
Telegram channels affiliated with the PIJ posted many graphics praising the stabbings carried out in Jerusalem on August 30, 2023 and September 6, 2023 and calling for more attacks of this sort:
"The heroic stabbing in Jerusalem"[13]
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"The blows of the heroes… Heroic stabbing in Jerusalem"[14]
"Jerusalem causes the enemy pain – A revolutionary carries out a heroic stabbing"[15]
"Stabbing and chopping is our natural reaction" [16]
"Cut them to pieces and chop them up"[17]
A picture of a meat cleaver with the text "used to cut meat; used to kill the Zionists." A check mark next to the second sentence indicates that it is the correct option.[18]
[1] On the Palestinian incitement to terrorism on social media, see also MEMRI reports:
Special Dispatch No. 10483 - Following Vehicular Terror Attack In Jerusalem, Hamas-Identified Cartoonist Publishes Antisemitic Cartoon Praising Murder Of Jews – February 13, 2023; Special Reports - On Twitter: Hamas Supporter Urges Terrorist Attacks Against Jews, Provides Practical Advice For How To Perpetrate Them – July 14, 2022; Special Dispatch No. 9950 - Following Yesterday's Terror Attack In Elad, Israel, In Which Three Israelis Were Murdered, Users Tweet Praise For The Attack, Incitement To More Axe And Knife Attacks – May 6, 2022; Special Dispatch No. 6627 - Wave Of Incitement On Palestinian Social Media Pages Following Recent Spike In Attacks On Israelis – September 26, 2016; Special Dispatch No. 6237 - Social Media As A Platform For Incitement - Part IV: Hashtag 'Stab' On Twitter, Facebook – December 10, 2015; Special Dispatch No. 6197 –Social Media As A Platform For Incitement - Part III: Posting Pictures Of Small Children Wielding Knives As Praise, Encouragement For Terrorism – October 23, 2015; Special Dispatch No. 6186 – Social Media As A Platform For Palestinian Incitement - Part II: Video Tutorials, Tips For Achieving More 'Effective' Attacks – October 14, 2015; Special Dispatch No. 6185 - Social Media As A Platform For Palestinian Incitement – Praise For Stabbing Attackers, Threats Of Further Attacks – October 14, 2015.
[2] The words "kill the Jews" were written in Hebrew.
[3] The terror organizations claim that Palestinian women who tried to carry out stabbings were "attacked" by the Israeli security forces, and call to avenge this. Hamas-affiliated cartoonist Bahaa Yasin has published several cartoons on this topic. See e.g., instagram.com/p/CwzOyLMNERL, September 6, 2023.
[4] T.me/bitomaar, September 4, 2023.
[5] The name hints at the Al-Quds Brigades, the PIJ's military wing.
[6] Here too the words "kill the Jews" were written in Hebrew.
[7] T.me/naderalkher9, September 6, 2023.
[8] On the same date the channel also posted footage of a stabbing attack that had taken place that day in Jerusalem, with the caption "Holy Revenge." T.me/alresalahpress, September 6, 2023.
[9] See MEMRI TV Clip No. 9527, "Hamas Gaza Leader Yahya Sinwar: We Will Desecrate Synagogues Throughout The World If Al-Aqsa Is Desecrated; Israel Wants A Religious War – We Accept The Challenge; This Will Scorch The Earth, Change The Planet; Palestinians Should Carry Out Lone Wolf Attacks; Israeli-Arabs Should Prepare Their Guns, Cleavers, Axes, Knives," April 30, 2022. See also MEMRI TV Clip No. 8828 - Senior Hamas Official Fathi Hammad To Palestinians In Jerusalem: Buy 5-Shekel Knives And Cut Off The Heads Of The Jews – July 5, 2021.
[10] T.me/Xinghhw, September 4, 2023.
[11] T.me/AhmadGAH, September 6, 2023.
[12] T.me/mohammedaklook, September 7, 2023. For further excerpts from his speech, see MEMRI JTTM report, Pro-Hamas Gazan Islamic Cleric: Kill Female Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Soldiers To Avenge Violation Of Honor Of West Bank Palestinian Women; “It’s Time To Shake The Dust Off The Guns And Aim Them At The Occupiers;” “To Spill Their Blood With A Knife Or An Ax”, September 10, 2023.
[13] T.me/MithaqMedia, August 30, 2023.
[14] T.me/MithaqMedia, September 6, 2023.
[15] T.me/MithaqMedia, September 6, 2023.
[16] T.me/ahmadddhd, September 6, 2023.
[17] T.me/ebnfelasteen, September 7, 2023.
[18] T.me/althwar, September 6, 2023.
