YouTube has removed the official channels of three major Palestinian human rights groups, deleting more than 700 videos that documented alleged Israeli abuses in Gaza and the West Bank.
The affected organizations are Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR). Their channels were taken down on Thursday without prior notice. The deleted videos included field reports, interviews, and legal analyses related to Israeli military actions and settlement activities.
In a statement, YouTube said the removals were due to “repeated violations of community guidelines on violent extremism and hate speech.” The company said its review found content that “glorified terrorism” or contained “graphic imagery.”
The rights groups strongly denied the accusations. Al-Haq Director Shawan Jabarin said the removals erased years of evidence and research. “This is not just about videos—it’s about history being deleted,” he said from Ramallah.
Advocacy organizations and journalists criticized the decision, accusing YouTube of silencing human rights documentation. Amnesty International called the move “an attack on transparency,” while Israeli officials supported the action, calling it a necessary step against what they described as “propaganda.”
The takedowns come shortly after a U.S. House resolution labeled Al-Haq and Al Mezan as linked to militant groups—an allegation both reject. The timing also follows the International Court of Justice’s recent ruling on Israel’s Rafah operations, which increased global scrutiny of the conflict.
Social media users responded with the hashtag #SavePalestinianVoices, which trended globally within hours. The groups have announced plans to restore their content on alternative platforms such as PeerTube and Rumble.
Al Mezan said it will continue publishing documentation “no matter the platform,” while PCHR stated it is preparing legal action under European digital rights laws.
The removals have reignited debate over how major tech companies moderate political and human rights content during conflicts.
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