''Thank You Meta'': Israel After Mark Zuckerberg Calls Hamas Attacks ''Pure Evil''

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, expressed his opinion on the situation and condemned the attacks perpetrated by Hamas. In an Instagram Story earlier this week, Mr Zuckerberg said, ''The terrorist attacks by Hamas are pure evil. There is never any justification for carrying out acts of terrorism against innocent people.''

''The widespread suffering that has resulted is devastating. My focus remains on the safety of our employees and their families in Israel and the region,'' he added. Reacting to his post, Israel's official X account on Saturday thanked him while sharing a screenshot of his message.

''Thank you @Meta,'' the post on X read. 

See the tweet here:

Thank you @Meta. pic.twitter.com/Gkpvi5kG6d

— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) October 14, 2023

A few days back, the European Union warned Mr Zuckerberg urging the billionaire to remove disinformation on his platforms after Hamas's attack on Israel. It told Meta that it has "24 hours" to respond and comply with European law. Meta owns popular social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, as well as Threads.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote, "In light of a number of serious developments, let me recall the precise obligations regarding content moderation under the EU Digital Services Act."

Mr Breton also warned Elon Musk that his platform X is spreading "illegal content and disinformation."

Following the Islamist group Hamas' attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory airstrikes in the Palestinian enclave Gaza, social media firms have seen a surge in misinformation related to the conflict, including doctored images and mislabelled videos, alongside images of graphic violence, Reuters reported. 

Meanwhile, other tech billionaires have also voiced their stance on the matter. Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a post on X, said that he is deeply saddened by the ''terrorist attacks in Israel'' and the ''escalating conflict underway.'' 

Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella also offered his deepest condolences to all those impacted by the war and said he is "heartbroken by the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel" where the company has nearly 3,000 employees.

 In the eight days since Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,300 Israelis in a terror attack, Israel has responded with a devastating bombing campaign that has claimed over 2,300 lives in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has opened a safe corridor in northern Gaza to allow residents to go to the "safer" southern part of the seaside territory. In a post on X, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said they will not launch any operation on this corridor from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.