“If you are hurting, as I share my condolences today with my loved ones, both Palestine and Jewish, I’m sending you my love and strength—whoever and wherever you are.” This was the voice of pro-Palestine, A-List celebrity Gigi Hadid as she took to her Instagram account days after the Israel-Hamas war began.
On October 7th, 2023, Hamas officially declared war on Israel, marking the beginning of another devastating chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In its wake, one place the pro-Palestine movement immediately found a home was on Gen Z-pioneered social media. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, and X quickly flooded with videos, filters, and opinions, amplifying the global uproar.
Social media has revolutionized modern activism, and the pro-Palestine movement is a key example of this. It exemplifies how these platforms amplify underrepresented voices, engage younger audiences, and catalyze global attention through creative and impactful campaigns. Those who cannot participate in physical protests and marches can access social media safely from their homes. Anyone with an account and desire for change can share their voice and opinion.
The first power of social media is its virality. Anytime celebrities post on Instagram in response to recent news, they make headlines. This prominent pattern continued when celebrities spoke out about the Israel-Hamas war. From touching 24-hour stories to full-fledged posts, controversy and debate rose like flames in response to celebrities. Israel’s own official Instagram account took part in this, slamming Hadid for her comments on the war. However, this backlash did not stop the pro-Palestine movement—instead, it made it go viral.
The second distinctive strength of social media lies in its interactive features. After the Six-Day War in 1967, where Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel made public displays of the Palestinian flag a criminal offense. To protest, Palestinians began using watermelons—an innocent fruit that shared the colors of the Palestinian flag—as a symbolic work-around. Although the ban on public displays of the Palestinian flag was lifted in 1993, the watermelon symbol stuck around. One small TikTok creator, Jourdan Johnson, was familiar with this history and created a watermelon TikTok filter to raise money for Palestine, where users trace a watermelon across a squiggly line collecting seeds. This gamified approach fostered widespread engagement and sustained users’ attention. This simple game swiftly accelerated the pro-Palestine movement’s growth. In just one week, TikTok users created 6.5 million videos with the filter and raised $14,000 for Palestine. This demonstrates the unparalleled capacity of social media to rapidly mobilize and engage users for a cause.
As awareness and funds for Palestine accumulated, so did informative content. For example, up and rising activism account HolyPalestina X featured Latin American pro-Palestine activists who translate news and updates into Spanish. Within a few months, they became one of the top 140 viewed profiles on X. These activists successfully utilized social media to educate thousands of Spanish speakers across social media platforms.
From celebrity spotlights to wholesome TikTok trends to hard-working activists, pro-Palestine has become one of the fastest-growing social movements, thanks to social media. The pro-Palestine movement illustrates how social media has reshaped activism, empowering individuals and fostering global solidarity. Rapidly expanding across viewer screens all over the world, pro-Palestine has spread its message, engendering sympathy for Palestinians caught in conflict and ire from pro-Israel partisans. As the pro-Palestine movement shows, social media is more than a platform for awareness—it is a tool for action, education, and global solidarity. The future of activism lies in the apps on our phones that link us across countries and generations. In an increasingly connected world, these digital movements will continue to redefine activism for future generations.
References
Hadid, Gigi. @gigihadid. “My thoughts are with those affected..” Instagram, 10 October 2023. https://www.instagram.com/p/CyO02BeObTy/
Sharf, Zack. “Gigi Hadid Called Out by State of Israel on Instagram for Post About Israel-Hamas War: ‘Have You Been Sleeping This Past Week?’” Variety, 2023. https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/gigi-hadid-condemned-israeli-government-palestine-1235757784
II Mendez, Moises. “A TikTok Watermelon Filter Raising Money for Gaza Highlights the Platform’s Potential for Fundraising” Time, 2023. https://time.com/6335577/watermelon-filter-for-good-tiktok-gaza-aid
Syed, Armani. “How the Watermelon Became a Symbol of Palestinian Solidarity” Time, 2023. https://time.com/6326312/watermelon-palestinian-symbol-solidarity
Lima, Eduardo Campos. “How pro-Palestine digital activists in Latin America are offering an uncensored view on Gaza” Arab News, 2024. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2456681/media