Meta has systematically removed Palestinian content from Facebook and Instagram, with accounts restricted and posts made less visible, new research has confirmed.

The joint research – by Palestinian digital rights organisation 7amleh and Utrecht University researcher Fabio Cristiano – documents thousands of cases of Palestinian accounts being suppressed since before the genocide in Gaza began.

The findings, published in a report called the Platformicide of Palestine, are based on an analysis of 3,520 cases of alleged digital rights violations submitted to 7amleh’s Palestinian Observatory of Digital Rights Violations, between January 2021 and December 2025.

The moderation of Palestinian and Palestine-related content regularly involved opaque policy enforcement, severe account restrictions, inadequate explanations and delayed remedies, the report said.

In the vast majority of cases, Meta did not tell users which rule they had allegedly broken or why their posts had been removed, restricted or shadow-banned. Only in one third of cases – 1,144 out of 3,520 –  did the company say a rule was violated in its justification for censoring content.

Meta most frequently cited its Dangerous Organisations and Individuals (DOI) policy as the basis for enforcement, with this accounting for 654 cases – or 57.2% of cases where a policy could be identified.

Researchers said the policy appeared to use a “security lens through which Palestinian expression was assessed”.

People who documented killings or even posted about them mourning the deaths of Palestinians were often seen by Meta as endorsing acts of violence, the report said.

Palestinian journalists and media organisations were among those most affected by the restrictions. Of 180 journalist cases in which a policy could be identified, 128 – 71.1% – had content moderated under the DOI policy. Among media outlets, 102 of 172 identifiable cases – 59.3% – were treated under the same policy.

This is despite Meta’s own recognition that news reporting can warrant protection under its so-called “newsworthiness allowance”, the report notes.

Nadim Nashif, 7amleh founder and executive director, said in a statement: “This research demonstrates that the challenges facing Palestinian content are not limited to isolated incidents of censorship. They reflect deeper structural bias and racism within Meta’s moderation systems that continue to undermine Palestinian digital rights, restrict access to information, and weaken civic space online.”

7amleh has called for greater transparency from Meta, including clearer explanations for moderation decisions and more consistent application of its policies.

The report argues that Palestinian users should not have to choose between participating in public life and risking the loss of their ability to communicate online.

Novara Media reached out to Meta for comment.

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