Washington, MINA – YouTube has reportedly removed more than 700 videos and shut down the accounts of three major Palestinian human rights organizations.
According to a report by The Intercept on Wednesday, the deleted accounts belonged to Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, all of which frequently published footage documenting Israeli violations of international law in Gaza and the West Bank.
The removed content included investigations of Israeli attacks, testimonies from survivors, and documentation of the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
The account closures reportedly occurred in early October, shortly after the U.S. government imposed sanctions on the three organizations for their cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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YouTube confirmed the removal, citing compliance with US trade and sanctions laws as the reason behind its decision.
Human rights advocates and Palestinian groups condemned the move, describing it as an attempt to silence Palestinian voices and erase vital evidence of human rights violations. They also criticized YouTube for giving no prior warning before the accounts were deleted, arguing that the platform was targeting reporters of abuses, not extremist content.
Meanwhile, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Several nations, including Spain, Ireland, Libya, Mexico, Belgium, and Türkiye have since joined the case. The ICJ has issued three provisional measures, ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have reportedly killed nearly 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,000 others in Gaza. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on October 10 under a 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, though Israel has repeatedly violated the truce.[]
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