Telegram became a fearsome weapon in the Israel-Hamas War

Machol vs. Machol: Shutting down the Hamas Channel in the Mobile App Stores, and Implications for App Store Rules

Last week, the pro-Israel Zachor Legal Institute sent Apple a letter pointing out seven accounts with connections to Hamas that were still available on Telegram for Apple users, while Telegram had removed them for Android devices.

Some of the channels amassed hundreds of thousands of subscribers and sent out graphic images and videos of the war, in addition to calls to action from Hamas members.

“The channels used by hamas are psychological terror tools which they use to influence the western public,” said Ron Machol, Chief Operating Officer.

The Hamas channels have been argued that they are an important source of information about the war by a Russian-born tech mogul.

“Would shutting down their channel help save lives — or would it endanger more lives? While it would be easy for us to destroy this source of information, doing so risks exacerbating an already dire situation,” he wrote.

Being in violation of Apple and Google’s app store rules could result in an app being removed from the mobile app stores both companies control. Both Apple and Google have rules against apps that promote violence.

Being kicked out Apple and Google’s app stores would make it impossible for new users to download the app, and it would also slowly cripple the functionality of the service since Telegram would have no way to send its 800 million monthly active users software updates.

A Haaretz Reporter in Jaffa, Israel, Recovered by a Militant During a Battle with the Defense Forces

On the morning of October 7, the morning of October 7, a Haaretz reporter was awoken by his wife in Jaffa, a historic port city. She said something was happening in southern Israel, but Benjakob didn’t believe it and thought there was more to come. In southern Israel, flare-ups between the Israel Defense Forces and the militant groups are not uncommon. “No, no,” Benjakob’s wife insisted. It is more serious.

During the course of the day, Telegram, which has 800 million users worldwide, became the main source of videos and information spreading to other social media platforms, including X, Instagram, and TikTok, where content was being reposted with little to no verification.