Over the weekend of Oct. 7, 2023, many people in the U.S. were living their normal day-to-day lives, while across the world, lives were ultimately changed forever. On Oct. 7, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched a surprise attack on Israel, the most significant attack in 50 years on Israeli soil. The attack started by Hamas firing thousands of rockets, their destinations ranging from Tel Aviv to parts of Jerusalem.
Shortly after firing rockets, Hamas crossed into Israel, attacking from land, sea, and air, resulting in at least 900 Israeli deaths and taking more than 100 hostages, including women, children, and elderly people. Hamas largely controls the Gaza Strip, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians — and is the epicenter of Israel’s retaliation after the weekend attack, launching airstrikes on Gaza and enforcing a full-scale “siege” on the strip, allowing no food, water, electricity, or fuel to the area. The death toll in Gaza is now over 700.
It is important to recognize that the Israel-Palestine conflict has been building up for decades, and is a very layered issue with violence coming from both sides, but we can all agree that civilian deaths in both Gaza and Israel are inhumane. In the days after the surprise attack on Israel, the media went rampant with endless news stories and reporting, but the information can become dense and difficult to comprehend. Fortunately, there are amazing TikTok creators who report news updates on the Israel-Palestine war that are easier to absorb.
Here are three TikTok creators to follow to keep yourselves aware of the conflict in the Middle East.
- @UndertheDeskNews
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Under The Desk News, run by creator V Spehar, is an incredible platform of concise and factual news, with a calm delivery. Spehar gives both sides to every story, which is crucial for the context needed on the Israel-Palestine war. They also do not show any triggering photos of the conflict, giving viewers relief and a break from the violence.
- @FreekDaGemini
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Creator FreekDaGemini is an untraditional news creator, covering a range of topics. Currently, he is covering ton of news updates about the Israel-Palestine conflict while also giving his 1 million followers quick history recaps. One of his recent TikToks features a simpler version of the history of Israel and Palestine’s complex relationship that gave me a lot of insight.
- @PhilipDeFranco
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Philip DeFranco posts content about the latest news stories from around the world. DeFranco uses real footage related to the news stories he reports while giving quick and concise information to keep you updated throughout the day. His content surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict gives multiple sides to each story.