For nearly two years, a constant stream of images has filled American social media feeds: Palestinians in Gaza escaping Israeli airstrikes, desperately searching for loved ones amidst rubble, and witnessing their cities crumble.
However, in recent months, a new, more visceral narrative has emerged. As starvation becomes a grim reality for more Gazans, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X are inundated with videos of emaciated children pleading for food and scavenging for clean water, offering an unflinching look at the devastating human cost of the conflict.
This shift in online content coincides with a noticeable change in American public sentiment towards Israel. A recent poll by The New York Times and Siena University reveals that for the first time since 1998, more Americans now sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis.
The growing disapproval of the war is largely attributed to a significant decrease in support among Democratic voters. While Republican support for Israel generally remains strong, the poll also indicated a slight dip even within that demographic.
While numerous factors contribute to this evolving perspective, internet experts highlight social media’s pivotal role, as the Israel-Gaza conflict has been a pervasive topic across various online communities.
Emerson Brooking, director of strategy at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, notes that “Israel’s public position — portraying itself as a nation compelled into a defensive war and striving to minimize civilian casualties — is increasingly undermined by a daily deluge of documentary evidence online.”
Modern warfare is increasingly unfolding on social media. From Ukraine to Myanmar and Sudan, individuals are documenting and uploading footage directly from conflict zones. In Gaza, these videos and photographs have been a persistent presence over an extended period, reflecting years of intermittent violence.
This digital landscape has transformed social media into a crucial battleground for public opinion for both Israelis and Palestinians. These efforts intensified significantly after the October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks by Hamas militants from Gaza, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and at least 250 kidnappings, initiating the current war.
In the digital realm, Israel launched campaigns aimed at influencing Black and Democratic lawmakers, utilizing fabricated social media accounts to promote pro-Israeli viewpoints. Concurrently, Hamas militants disseminated footage of the October 7 attacks and even seized control of some Israeli hostages’ social media accounts to sow fear.
During the early months following the October 7 attacks, Times polls indicated a general favorability towards Israel among the U.S. public, with 47 percent supporting Israelis and 20 percent backing Palestinians.
However, since that time, many Palestinians have leveraged Instagram and TikTok to share their personal stories of the war. Photojournalists embedded in Gaza have also consistently published images and videos depicting the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes.
Obtaining and verifying firsthand accounts from Gaza has become increasingly challenging, as dozens of journalists have lost their lives in the conflict and many Palestinians have been displaced. Despite these obstacles, a dedicated network of Palestinian photographers and photojournalists continues to share daily images on their social media platforms.
Notable among them are Wissam Nassar, a photographer based in Gaza, and Motaz Azaiza, who, despite having left Gaza last year, regularly posts images from his family and friends remaining in the coastal enclave. Both command significant followings on Instagram.
A powerful image, captured last month, shows Palestinians gathered outside a charity kitchen in the Gaza Strip, eagerly awaiting free meals amidst severe economic hardship and widespread famine. This scene vividly illustrates the daily struggles faced by the population.
Just this past Tuesday, Nassar and Azaiza both shared emotional tributes on Instagram to Yahya Barzak, a fellow Palestinian photographer renowned for his poignant images of newborn babies. Their posts mourned his death in an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza cafe.
Neither Mr. Nassar nor Mr. Azaiza could be reached for comment regarding these posts.
Instagram and TikTok hold immense popularity among young Americans, a demographic that, according to the recent Times and Siena University poll, is most inclined to oppose further economic or military assistance to Israel. While some Israeli and U.S. lawmakers have alleged that TikTok deliberately promotes pro-Palestinian content, the platform maintains its neutrality and asserts strict policies against antisemitism.
Conversely, Israel’s efforts to influence online audiences have largely struggled, according to Mr. Brooking. He suggested that the Israeli government seems to be “de-emphasizing persuasion altogether,” opting instead to disrupt Palestinian social media activity by targeting essential infrastructure like cellphone and internet towers in Gaza.
The formation of public opinion on the Israel-Gaza war is further complicated by sophisticated influence campaigns, the proliferation of AI-generated images, and autonomous bots that often disseminate biased or one-sided content.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, a coalition of advocacy groups, highlighted a “direct link between the increasing polarization on issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its consistent reinforcement by zero-sum thinking and conspiracy theories prevalent on social media.”
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the profound influence of social media in the conflict. During a meeting with American influencers at Israel’s Consulate General in New York, he reportedly characterized social media platforms as “the most important weapon” his nation possessed to “secure our base of support in the U.S.,” a statement captured in a video by attendee Debra Lea.
Netanyahu further alleged that various non-governmental organizations and other entities were deliberately propagating anti-Israeli and antisemitic messages to Americans via social media. He singled out TikTok as the primary platform for influencing public opinion, with X (formerly Twitter) ranking closely behind.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office did not provide a comment in response to inquiries.
The Times and Siena University poll reveals a near-equal split in American sympathies, with 34 percent expressing broader support for Israelis and 35 percent for Palestinians. The remaining 31 percent were either undecided or supported both sides equally.
Significantly, a majority of American voters now oppose providing additional economic and military aid to Israel, marking a substantial shift in public sentiment since the October 7 attacks. Among voters under 30, this opposition is particularly pronounced, with almost seven out of ten expressing disapproval of such aid, irrespective of their political party.