The Intercept: YouTube Removed 700+ Videos Documenting Israeli Violations Against Palestinians

YouTube deleted the accounts of three Palestinian human rights organizations and removed hundreds of videos documenting alleged Israeli violations of international law, according to a recent report by The Intercept. The affected groups are Al-Haq, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

The report said YouTube quietly removed the videos in October, erasing both the individual accounts that had posted them and the channels’ entire archives.

The move, the report added, came amid a U.S. government campaign aimed at curbing efforts to hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), called the decision “shocking.” She said it is difficult to imagine any legitimate argument that sharing information from these Palestinian human rights groups could violate sanctions. “Giving in to this arbitrary classification and censoring these organizations is deeply disappointing and surprising,” she said.

YouTube and Google Enforce U.S. Sanctions

YouTube, owned by Google, confirmed to The Intercept that it had deleted the accounts of three Palestinian human rights organizations in response to U.S. sanctions imposed by the State Department.

The Trump administration issued the sanctions in September, citing the groups’ collaboration with the International Criminal Court on cases accusing Israeli officials of war crimes.

Bethany Plouinckel, a YouTube spokesperson, said in a statement, “Google is committed to complying with applicable sanctions and trade laws.” According to Google’s sanctions compliance policy, “Google’s publishing products are ineligible for any entities or individuals subject to trade sanctions and applicable export compliance laws.”

Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza said its YouTube channel was abruptly shut down on Oct. 7 without prior notice. A spokesperson said the closure “prevents us from reaching the people we aim to engage, carrying out our mission, achieving our goals, and connecting with the audience we hope to share our message with.”

Al-Haq, based in the West Bank, said its channel was removed on Oct. 3, with a notice from YouTube stating, “Your content violates our guidelines.” A spokesperson added that U.S. sanctions “are being used to obstruct accountability efforts regarding Palestine and silence Palestinians and their victims. This has a broad impact on platforms that enforce these measures, further suppressing Palestinian voices.”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, described by the United Nations as Gaza’s oldest human rights organization, said YouTube’s actions “shield perpetrators from accountability.” Basil Sorani, the center’s international advocacy officer and legal advisor, said, “YouTube’s decision to shut down our account is just one of many consequences we have faced since the U.S. government sanctioned our organization for our legitimate work. YouTube claimed we violated community guidelines, even though our work focuses on fact-based, evidence-supported reporting on crimes against the Palestinian people, particularly since the ongoing atrocities began on Oct. 7.”

An analysis by The Intercept found that the closure of the three organizations’ accounts resulted in the deletion of more than 700 videos, including a documentary on mothers surviving atrocities in Gaza and a filmed investigation into the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

YouTube is not the only U.S. tech company limiting access for Palestinian human rights organizations. Al-Haq said that Mailchimp, an email marketing service, deleted the group’s account in September.

U.S. and Israel Involved in Suppressing Palestinian Voices

The United States and Israel have long sought to shield themselves from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and avoid accountability for alleged war crimes, as neither country is a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

In November 2024, ICC prosecutors issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant, accusing them of deliberately starving civilians by blocking aid into Gaza. Both the Biden and Trump administrations rejected the legitimacy of the warrants.

Since his reelection, former President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly aggressive stance against efforts to hold Israel accountable. In the early days of his second term, he renewed sanctions against the ICC and imposed stricter measures targeting court officials and anyone accused of aiding their work. In September, he issued a new order specifically sanctioning three Palestinian human rights organizations.

The U.S. actions followed Israel’s 2021 designation of Al-Haq as a “terrorist organization,” accompanied by an online smear campaign by pro-Israel activists attempting to link the Palestinian Center for Human Rights to armed groups.

The sanctions freeze the organizations’ U.S. assets and bar sanctioned individuals from traveling to the country. Federal judges have already issued preliminary rulings in two cases siding with plaintiffs who argued the sanctions violate their First Amendment rights.

Sarah Leah Whitson, who joined a coalition in September calling for the sanctions to be lifted, said, “The Trump administration has deliberately targeted information about Israeli atrocities in Palestine. The sanctions were designed to intimidate Americans from associating with these organizations for fear of violating material support laws.”

YouTube has shown a clear willingness to comply with demands from both the Trump administration and Israeli actors, coordinating with campaigns organized by Israeli tech professionals to remove content critical of Israel on social media.

Google has also reportedly handed over private Gmail account information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an attempt to arrest Thomas Johnson, a pro-Palestinian student activist.

Earlier this year, YouTube shut down the official account of the Association for the Support of Prisoners and Human Rights. The move followed pressure from Lawyers for Israel, a British advocacy group that flagged the organization’s U.S. sanctions to the platform.

YouTube Enforces Restrictions on Palestinian Content

In April 2024, the Arab Center for the Development of Social Media (Hama) published a research paper titled “YouTube’s Impact on Palestinian Digital Rights During the War on Gaza.” The study examined YouTube’s discriminatory policies and practices, their compliance with international law, and their effect on Palestinians’ digital rights following October 7, 2023.

The report provided a comprehensive assessment of the platform’s content management practices, highlighting the spread of wartime propaganda, including Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs ads urging viewers to support Israel’s military actions in Gaza. It also documented discriminatory treatment toward Palestinians, such as demonetizing videos and restricting content creators who criticized Israeli policies.

According to the report, YouTube’s policies fail to uphold freedom of expression and provide insufficient protection against incitement to hatred or violence. The paper concluded that these content management failures allowed controversial ads to circulate, contributing to incitement against Palestinians.

The study emphasized that YouTube’s discriminatory practices—particularly demonetization and content restrictions targeting criticism of Israel—undermine free expression and limit Palestinians’ ability to share information about their daily lives and fundamental rights.

Even before the recent escalation in Gaza, YouTube faced criticism for uneven enforcement of its community guidelines, suppressing Palestinian voices while leaving pro-Israel content largely unchallenged. This pattern reportedly continued during the conflict, according to a WIRED report.

The report noted that YouTube came under internal scrutiny for its handling of Gaza-related content, allowing videos and songs praising Israeli military operations to remain online while content critical of Israel or documenting Palestinian suffering was restricted or removed.

Some employees reportedly saw decisions—such as keeping an Israeli rap song targeting Hamas online despite its anti-Palestinian content—as evidence of unequal enforcement of community guidelines.

The report also highlighted a double standard: videos critical of Israel were often age-restricted or partially removed, while pro-war content remained unrestricted, reflecting inconsistent content moderation.

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