Media reports have revealed that YouTube has permanently deleted the official channels of three prominent Palestinian human rights organizations, along with hundreds of videos documenting the crimes of the usurping entity in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The move reportedly came in compliance with directives from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, targeting institutions cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to a report by The Intercept, YouTube has taken down hundreds of videos and accounts belonging to Palestinians since October 2023, including those of activists, journalists, and international organizations engaged in media and legal advocacy for the Palestinian cause.
The targeted organizations include Al-Haq, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR). The report emphasized that YouTube’s decision is part of a broader U.S.-led campaign to obstruct accountability for the war crimes committed by the usurping entity in Gaza and the West Bank, particularly during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The closures, it noted, came as part of U.S. sanctions imposed on these organizations for their collaboration with the ICC in cases against Israeli officials.
The three Palestinian organizations condemned YouTube’s actions, describing them as a blatant attack on freedom of expression and a serious obstruction of justice. The Al-Mezan Center stated that its channel was deleted without prior warning, undermining its ability to reach the public. Meanwhile, Al-Haq said the removal of its channel on November 3 represents “a dangerous retreat from human rights principles and an attempt to shield perpetrators from accountability.”
An estimated 700 videos were deleted, including investigations, testimonies, and documentaries — among them a film documenting the stories of mothers who survived the genocide committed by the usurping entity in Gaza.
Thousands of Palestinian and pro-Palestine accounts across social media platforms have faced similar restrictions — shadow bans, content suppression, and outright removal — under the pretext of “violating community guidelines.” Western media and social platforms have largely adopted the Israeli narrative, participating — directly or indirectly — in the silencing of Palestinian voices.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), condemned YouTube’s actions as “a disappointing act of submission to the demands of the Trump administration and the occupation,” warning that this precedent could encourage other tech companies to impose even harsher censorship on Palestinian content.
Since October 2023, the usurping entity — with full U.S. backing — has carried out a genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, killing more than 68,000 Palestinians, injuring over 170,000, and leaving thousands missing beneath the rubble. Over the two years of genocide, its army and settler militias have also intensified violent assaults across the occupied West Bank, killing 1,065 Palestinians and injuring around 10,000 others.
