On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization that aims to destroy Israel, launched…
On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization that aims to destroy Israel, launched a violent attack against Israel. This attack directed its members to target Israeli civilians, including women and children, resulting in devastating consequences: the death of 1,400 people, the kidnapping of 210 individuals, with dozens still missing, and over 3,000 injured. On that same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas.
The aftermath of this attack witnessed a significant rise in antisemitic incidents worldwide, with notable spikes in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and France. Far-right extremist groups online, sharing antisemitic sentiments, have aligned with Hamas, resulting in the spread of propaganda, conspiracy theories, and calls to action against Jewish communities.
This paper examines the online far-right’s reaction to the Israel-Hamas conflict, highlighting three key themes: the dissemination of propaganda that both glorifies Hamas and promotes baseless conspiracy theories, calls to action in both digital and physical realms, and the crucial role of policymakers and law enforcement in maintaining vigilance to prevent the proliferation of hate and violence in the digital era. The cross-border interconnectivity of extremist ideologies highlights the urgent need to address the problematic nexus between far-right groups and Hamas.
Researcher, Head of the Global Far-right Extremism Desk & Internal Relations Manager at ICT. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler is a Researcher, Head of the Global Far-right Extremism Desk & Internal Relations Manager at ICT. She holds a Ph.D. from Tel-Aviv University, Political Science Department. Her research deals with democratic states facing terror or guerilla activities with a focus on Israel, United-States and Sri-Lanka. The research provided democratic states fighting these kind of organizations with an operative instrument that defines realistic requirements to help the state maintain its military effectiveness while increasing the legitimacy of its actions in the eyes of the international community both during and after combat. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler was awarded a prize for her unique research in the field of terrorism, on behalf of Inbar Fund and the Intelligence Heritage Canter. She holds an M.A. from Tel-Aviv University, Security Studies department. Her Thesis deals with the subject of morality of targeted killing in the state of Israel. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler was awarded the Fox International Scholarship (2011-2012), on behalf of Yale University USA,the MacMilan Center for International and Area studies, for research that intends to offer practical solutions to problems which stand in the way of the world`s peace and prosperity. During 2012-2013, and while being a doctoral candidate, she held a visiting Assistant in Research position at the Sociology Department at Yale. She has published articles and op-eds in various newspapers and journals and has lectured in front of diverse audiences. Dr. Koblentz-Stenzler specializes in issues of Military Ethics, Far-right extremism, Radicalization process, Low Intensity War, Targeted Killing, Just War Theory, Terrorism and Guerilla Warfare.
