Latest news with #Maayan
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
'Entire attack livestreamed on Facebook': Oct 7. victim relatives file lawsuit against Meta
Relatives of October 7 victims are suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, for livestreams of Hamas's massacre, broadcasting footage of their relatives' murder. A motion for certification of a class action lawsuit for more than NIS four billion ($1.15 b.) was filed on Monday by October 7 victims, their families, and users on Facebook and Instagram against corporate parent giant Meta. The motion charged that the mammoth social media companies had played a part in the atrocities that took place on that Saturday, and effectively violated the privacy rights of users by bombarding them with sensitive content. This, the motion argues, is inseparable from the broader attack. 'The horrific images of terror and pain are forever ingrained in the minds of these families as the last moments their loved ones had on earth,' reads the motion, adding that this atrocity balloons every day as long as the footage remains publicly accessible. Filed in the Tel Aviv District Court, the motion for certification filed by the representatives of the victims and families will need to be reviewed by the court to test its suitability for class action. The court will assess the strength of the case arguments: to show that a group was clearly affected, as well as proof of damages, among other conditions. If the court grants the motion, the case will then proceed as a class action, and the court will eventually rule. The motion was signed by the Idan family from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Maayan, 18, was killed by terrorists on October 7 after being held hostage in her own home for hours. Relatives viewed the horror of the October 7 massacre through happenstance social media scrolling 'Her horrific murder and the entire attack was livestreamed on Facebook for the whole world to see,' reads the motion, adding that the family knew of what had happened to Maayan through a happenstance scroll on Facebook. Also signed onto the motion is Stav Arava, who found out, through the Facebook app, that his family living in Nahal Oz was being held hostage, and that his brother Tomer was forced at gunpoint – and while being broadcast live – to convince his neighbors to open their doors to the terrorists waiting outside. Tomer was killed by terrorists on October 7. Another signatory is Mor Bayder, who learned of the murder of her grandmother, Bracha Levinson, after terrorists filmed the murder act and then posted it to her Facebook page. 'My grandmother, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz all her life, was murdered yesterday in a brutal murder by a terrorist in her home... A terrorist came home to her, killed her, took her phone, filmed the horror, and published it on Facebook. This is how we found out,' Bayder wrote at the time. Also signed on is the mother of a female hostage, who learned of her daughter's fate on Instagram – while the entire event was being broadcast live – as well as a mother and her 14-year-old daughter, who were shocked and traumatized by the footage that greeted them on Facebook on that Saturday morning. Many of the livestreams of the horrific acts of torture and murder remained live and available for viewing for several hours, with no outside intervention. The motion argues that these public digital spaces purport to be safe for widespread public consumption, but that proved false on October 7. Meta issue response to lawsuit According to Calcalist, Meta stated in response, 'Our hearts go out to the families affected by Hamas terrorism. Our policy designates Hamas as a proscribed organization, and we remove content that supports or glorifies Hamas or the October 7 terrorist attack.' CyberWell, an independent nonprofit focused on combating online antisemtism and Holocaust denial on social media, released a statement on the lawsuit. "The case represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing conversation about the responsibilities of social media platforms in moderating content that incites terror and violence," the NGO stated. "What should have been a turning point, a moment to prioritize user safety over platform engagement, was tragically missed. As was the opportunity to re-examine laws and for platforms to invest in robust security measures to prevent similar events in the future," they added. "In the nearly two years since, social media has hosted echo chambers normalizing pro-terror and violent content, left unchecked by the very generative AI tools capable of effective, large-scale content moderation," they continued. "This landmark case raises urgent questions, not only about platform liability when social media and digital services become weapons in the hands of terrorists, but also about the new reach of terrorism in the digital universe," they commented.
The Independent
26-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hamas hands over bodies of four Israeli hostages as first phase of ceasefire nears end
Hamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages and Israel has started the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire between the two sides ends. The handover was confirmed by an Israeli security official early on Thursday on condition of anonymity, with a formal announcement yet to be made. Meanwhile, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners and detainees was seen leaving Israel's Ofer prison. Crowds of cheering families and friends of the prisoners gathered in Beitunia for a glimpse of the bus. Israel had delayed the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. The militant group had called Israel's delay a "serious violation" of the ceasefire and said talks on a second phase were not possible until the Palestinians were freed. The release of the bodies was carried out without ceremony, as opposed to past Hamas releases with stage-managed events in front of crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and UN officials, had described the ceremonies as humiliating for the hostages. A number of women and teenagers detained since the militant group's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which sparked the conflict in Gaza, were included in the exchange. A Hamas source said the prisoners and detainees due to be released include 445 men and 24 women and minors arrested in Gaza, as well as 151 prisoners serving life sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis. Only around 50 Palestinians will be released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round, while many sentenced to life over deadly attacks on Israelis will be exiled out of the Palestinian territories, taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accept them. The handover completes both sides' obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The family of one hostage in Gaza said it had been notified he was dead and his body was among those to be returned. Tsachi Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as militants shot through the door of the safe room. The ceasefire's six-week first phase expires this weekend. US President Donald Trump 's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas would be released and an end to the war would be negotiated. Talks on the second phase were supposed to begin in the first week of February. Tens of thousands of Israelis lined highways as the bodies of a mother and her two young sons, killed in captivity in Gaza, were taken for burial on Wednesday. The bodies of Shiri Bibas and her sons, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel, were handed over earlier this month. Israel says forensic evidence shows the children were killed by their captors in November 2023, while Hamas says the family was killed along with their guards in an Israeli air strike. With people living in tent camps and damaged buildings in Gaza in chilly weather, health officials said another infant had died of hypothermia, bringing the toll to seven in two weeks. Temperatures have been below 10C (50F) at night and the past few days have been particularly cold.
