Policy paper: Digital hate speech in Gaza — social media platforms and their effect on the social fabric

This policy paper treats the phenomenon of digital hate speech in the Gaza Strip during the war ongoing since October 2023, and analyses its destructive effect on the Palestinian social fabric. With the collapse of traditional institutions and the displacement of more than 90% of the Strip's population, social platforms have become the widest public space — and at the same time the most fragile incubator for the escalation of incitement, bullying, and sectarian and regional stereotyping.

The paper offers a precise diagnosis of the patterns of digital hate speech, analyses the structural factors feeding it in Gaza's particular context, and measures its effect on youth, women and vulnerable groups, drawing on comparative international experience from Rwanda, Syria and Iraq. Its diagnosis rests on a qualitative-analytical methodology combining a review of the relevant literature, in-depth interviews with experts in law, digital media, mental health and humanitarian work, and a limited focus group of 20 young participants, activists and social-media users in Gaza. The paper treats this data as exploratory indicators for understanding the phenomenon, not as a statistically representative sample of Gazan society.

The paper concludes with five applicable policy recommendations addressed to civil-society organisations, decision-makers, and young people as pivotal actors in the path of rebuilding social cohesion.

Download the paper (Arabic): click here