The following report is now a supplemental offering from MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, Click here.
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account that demonstrates jihadist terror-related activity / sympathies.
Alaa’ Gadoha is a Palestinian actor and artist who lives in Gaza and supports Hamas. He describes himself as “a Palestinian refugee from Jaffa, living in the besieged Gaza Strip, who believes that resistance is the only option for the liberation of Palestine.” Gadoha appeared in a TV series titled “Fist of the Free”, produced by the Hamas movement, which aired during Ramadan 2022 and tells the story of the resistance against Israel in Gaza. In addition to tweets posted during May-June 2022 in which he strongly criticizes the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its president, Mahmoud Abbas, Gadoha also posts tweets that encourage terrorist attacks against Israel and Jews, especially during periods of rising tension. between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza.
I tweet
The Twitter account is the main platform used by Gadoha to broadcast his messages calling for violence against Israel and Jews. The account was opened in 2022 and has more than 1400 followers so far. One of the other two people featured in his profile picture is Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It should be noted that while it hasn’t blocked him, Twitter has added the stipulation “may contain potentially sensitive content” to Gadoha’s account.
During May 2022, during the tense period leading up to the Jerusalem Day Flag March in Jerusalem and the spate of terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens in the weeks leading up to it, Gadoha posted a series of messages, mostly on Twitter, praising the attacks and called for more.
Support for Terrorist Attacks
On May 5, 2022, at 9:54 p.m., about an hour and a half after two ax-wielding Palestinians from the village of Rummanah near the West Bank city of Jenin began attacking passers-by in the city of Elad in central Israel, Gadoha wrote on Twitter. following, “Heroes’ Revenge for Al-Aqsa. Men’s Revenge for [the location of] night journey [of the Prophet Muhammad].[1] Our people are resisting everywhere, in Jenin, in Haifa, in ‘Ara and in Gaza, in Hebron and in Elad, with a knife, a Carlo,[2] an axe, a machete, rocks and molotov cocktails. We will resist with everything possible. #TerroristAttack_Elad.”[3]
On May 8, 2022, after a stabbing attack at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, Gadoha shared a photo of two knives used by the terrorist with the text, “Practice stabbing and insert the knife of revenge deep into the body’s vital organs.” Gadoha added a knife emoji and a picture depicting the same text with two knives in the background and the hashtags: #TerroristAttack_Damascus_Gate, #TerroristAttack_Elad.[4]
On May 10, 2022, when there were riots at the Al-Aqsa compound, Gadoha tweeted an image depicting an operative armed with a man-portable missile. The accompanying text in Arabic reads: “The sword of Jerusalem is not sheathed, the resistance fights the occupation by means of sacrificial operations.” Accompanying hashtags are: #SwordOfJerusalem, #SwordOfJerusalemNotResheathed.[5]
Encouragement to carry out attacks and operational advice
Before the Israeli flag march on Jerusalem Day, Gadoha posted messages inciting terrorist attacks. He also posted several video clips, some of which he appears in, which include pragmatic advice on how to carry out terrorist attacks and how to build weapons.
On May 24, he posted a video in which he appears with another man, during which they call on Palestinians to cut the throats of “settlers” with knives, decapitate them with axes, and shoot them with an AK-47 automatic. mode. Another option he proposes is to carry out car attacks against Israelis to “protect” the Al-Aqsa mosque.
In a post accompanying another video clip, he tweeted that in light of the “occupation and settlers’ plan to attack the Al-Aqsa Mosque on May 29,” the residents of Al-Quds, the Muslims who are barricading themselves in the Al-Complex Aqsa, West Bank residents and Israeli Arabs should watch the video, “so they will know what to do to prevent the march.”[6]
Gadoha also posted this video on one of his blocked Facebook pages.
On May 26, 2022, Gadoha posted another video clip portraying him and the same man who appeared in the video mentioned above, in which they explain to some masked people how to use a rifle, how to shoot someone, and how to throw a molotov. cocktail. They point out to the assembled people that they must prepare for the Flag March. At the end of the video, the two call on residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank and the 1948 territories to be ready for the march. An accompanying post reads: “You guys [West] Bank, Al-Quds and the occupied interior [i.e. the 1948 territories], get ready. We don’t want the march to take place.” Hashtags posted with the video are: #MarchofFlags will not take place, #AlQudsIsAREDLine, #OAlAqsaWe are at your command.[7]
On 28 May 2022, on his Twitter account, Gadoha shared a video clip glorifying knife attacks and car crashes carried out by Palestinians against Israeli citizens and soldiers, in which he calls for similar attacks. A post accompanying the video reads: “For Al-Aqsa, be a man o son of a proud man” and appears with the hashtags: #AlAqsaRedLine, #FlyYourFlag.[8]
On May 29, 2022, Gadoha posted a video explaining how to make a flamethrower with household items.[9]
On May 29, 2022, a few hours before the start of the Flag March in Jerusalem, Gadoha tweeted a cartoon showing a Palestinian stabbing an Israeli soldier with Al-Aqsa in the background and the text, “Everything but Al-Aqsa, ” with the following hashtags: #Flag_March_Nuk_Zë_Vedos, #AlAqsa, #AlAqsa_Red_line, #AlAqsa_Mosque, #Jerusalem.[10]
The drive to carry out terrorist attacks continued even after the Flag March. On May 30, 2022, Gadoha tweeted cartoons produced by Hamas promoting stabbings, car attacks, shootings, and suicide attacks. In the accompanying posts, residents of the West Bank and Jerusalem are urged to mobilize to the front lines to defend Jerusalem.[11]
Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
It should be noted that Gadoha also maintains social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, although he appears to be more careful about what he chooses to post, possibly for fear of having his accounts banned.
Gadoha had two Facebook accounts in which, during May 2022, he shared several posts in support of terrorist attacks which also encourage their commission. In May 2022, Gadoha opened an additional account in the name of: Alaa Abu Al-Baraa’, which so far has 4900 friends and 1160 followers.
Gadoha has 1,600 followers on his Instagram account and often posts pictures and video clips.
TIK Tok
Gadoha has 200 followers on TikTok and has posted two video clips on this account to date.
[1] According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad embarked on a night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem on the back of a legendary beast and from there proceeded to heaven.
[2] A Carlo is an improvised machine gun produced by small workshops in the Palestinian territories.
[3] Twitter, May 5, 2022.
[4] Twitter, May 8, 2022.
[5] Twitter, May 10, 2022; The Sword of Jerusalem campaign, known in Israel as Operation Wall Keeper, between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, took place between 10 and 21 May 2021.
[6] Twitter, May 24, 2022.
[7] Twitter, May 26, 2022.
[8] Watch MEMRI TV clip: Skit from Gaza Actor Alaa Gadouha urges Palestinians to use knives, axes, AK-47s and cars to kill Israelis during Sunday’s flag march, May 23, 2022.
[9] Twitter, May 29, 2022.
[10] Twitter, May 29, 2022.
[11] Twitter, May 30, 2022.
