November 6, 2025 | 07:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - YouTube has quietly taken down more than 700 videos documenting alleged international law violations by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, and shut down the accounts of three prominent Palestinian human rights organizations.
According to a report by The Intercept on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, the affected groups are Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which are known for publishing evidence of Israeli military actions and human rights abuses in Palestinian territories.
The removals reportedly took place in early October, shortly after the United States government imposed sanctions on the three organizations for their cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, confirmed that the action was taken following a review prompted by the U.S. sanctions.
“Google is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws,” the spokesperson told The Intercept.
Human Rights Documentation Erased
As reported by Anadolu, the deleted content included footage from investigations into Israeli airstrikes, testimonies from survivors, and videos documenting the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh of Al Jazeera.
Some recordings also featured testimonies from Palestinians who said they were tortured by Israeli forces.
Al Mezan said its YouTube channel was deleted on October 7 without prior notice, while Al-Haq reported a similar removal on October 3 for “violating guidelines.”
Al-Haq also revealed that Mailchimp, the U.S.-based email marketing platform, terminated its account in September.
Accusations of Silencing Palestinian Voices
Human rights groups and activists have condemned YouTube’s actions, accusing the platform of silencing Palestinian voices and erasing crucial evidence of human rights violations.
Critics noted that YouTube did not issue any prior warning and appeared to target organizations engaged in documentation rather than those spreading extremist content.
The three organizations expressed concern that other U.S.-based digital services might follow suit under the new sanctions. Al-Haq said it is now seeking non-U.S. platforms to host its video archives and documentation.
According to The New Arab, the sanctions on these organizations reflect Washington’s increasingly hardline stance toward critics of Israel, both at home and abroad.
The U.S. has also sanctioned the ICC over its investigations into alleged war crimes by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
In 2021, Israel designated Al-Haq a “terrorist organization,” a move widely condemned by the United Nations and international rights bodies.
Google, YouTube’s parent company, has also faced internal backlash over its contracts with the Israeli military, including cloud and AI services provided during the Gaza conflict.
The company has aired pro-Israel advertisements denying famine in Gaza, despite reports of widespread starvation following Israel’s total blockade since March.
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