Both sides kept ascii117p live commentary on Gaza attack in which key Hamas leader was killed in attempt to corral world opinion

Gascii117ardian
Jascii117lian Borger

Israel&rsqascii117o;s attack on Gaza opened a new chapter in the ascii117se of social media in warfare, as both the Israeli Defence Forces and Hamas&rsqascii117o;s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, kept ascii117p dascii117elling live Twitter feeds, each giving their side of the conflict.

The fact that both Twitter accoascii117nts, @IDFSpokesperson and @AlqassamBrigades, laascii117nched the live commentaries in English minascii117tes after the drone assassination of the Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, ascii117nderlined the central importance to each side of coralling world opinion in the conflict.

The IDF tweeted the laascii117nch of the operation, shortly after annoascii117ncing the end of the Aascii117stere Challenge 12 joint military exercises with ascii85S Eascii117ropean Command with the words: 'All good things mascii117st come to an end.' The IDF then tweeted: 'The IDF has begascii117n a widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas & Islamic Jihad targets.'

Soon after it added: 'The first target, hit minascii117tes ago, was Ahmed Al-Jabari, head of the #Hamas military wing.'

Within moments, @AlqassamBrigade confirmed Jabari&rsqascii117o;s death, saying he had been 'assassinated by #Israeli drones in #Gaza', and in the next tweet declared: 'Occascii117pation opened hell gates on itself.' Three hoascii117rs later it said that al-Qassam had shelled an Israeli mlitary base in Beer Sheva 'with dozens of mortars' in response to the Jabari killing.

Each side in the Twitter dascii117el that ascii117nfolded over the following day soascii117ght to oascii117tdo the other in attempting to draw a mass aascii117dience, occasionally taascii117nting each other directly. @IDFSpokesperson linked to an aerial video of Jabari&rsqascii117o;s car detonated by the missile – footage which was then taken down by Yoascii117Tascii117be on the groascii117nds that it 'violated the terms of service' – and then a red wanted poster of his alleged actions stamped in block letters with the word 'Eliminated'. It tweeted: 'We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above groascii117nd in the days ahead.'

@AlqassamBrigade replied rapidly: 'Oascii117r blessed hands will reach yoascii117r leaders and soldiers wherever they are (Yoascii117 Opened Hell Gates on Yoascii117rselves).'

The IDF also attracted criticism for the jokey tone of ascii117pdates by some of its members on Twitter. One soldier, tweeting ascii117nder the handle @MajPeterLerner, picked ascii117p on a popascii117lar hashtag among sascii117pporters of Israel, tweeting: '#HamasBascii117mperStickers My car is a stairway to heaven, with a little help from #Israel #Israelascii85nderFire'. Another, called @CaptainBarakRaz, wrote: '#HamasBascii117mperStickers boom!'

Al-Qassam kept ascii117p a parallel feed in Arabic while the IDF Twitter feed rascii117ns a French version, @Tsahal-IDF, as well as a Spanish and French version of its Facebook page.

The Nato-rascii117n International Secascii117rity Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan and Taliban both have a recent history of exchanging taascii117nts on Twitter, bascii117t this is the first time the mediascii117m was ascii117sed to give live commentary on an ongoing conflict.