Netanyahu says Israel is pursuing ‘forceful deterrence’ against Hamas
Former spokesperson for the United States Department of State Morgan Ortagus on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to continue retaliation against Hamas.
Social media giant Facebook took down a pro-Israel page last week after it was allegedly targeted by radical Islamists amid ongoing unrest in the Gaza Strip.
The Jerusalem Prayer Team (JPT) page, which has tens of millions of followers, was reportedly shut down on Friday after it was flooded with comments from people who allegedly wanted it taken offline.
The page’s founder, Michael Evans, told The Christian Broadcasting Network that there was an "organized attempt" by radical Islamists to target the page. Evans then said the people, who posted over 1 million comments on the site, contacted Facebook to say they had never written on the site.
A separate news outlet reported that Evans said some of the content posted was extremely anti-Semitic, including photos of Hitler.
"That was a complete scam and fraud," Evans told CBN. "It was a very clever, deceptive plan by Islamic radicals."
According to the publication, there were YouTube videos and Facebook messages posted about how to pressure the platforms about the Jerusalem Prayer Team’s page.
Evans reportedly has been leading online prayers for Israel daily amid the ongoing fighting.
A spokesperson for the Jerusalem Prayer Team did not return Fox News’ request for comment.
Facebook has not responded to a request for comment.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu ramped up his rhetoric on Wednesday as a deadly conflict continues in the Gaza Strip, despite pleas from the U.S. to deescalate an operation that has resulted in hundreds of casualties.
Israel continued to pound Hamas targets in Gaza with airstrikes, while Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with rocket fire throughout the day. In another sign of potential escalation, militants in Lebanon fired a rocket barrage into northern Israel.
The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began May 10, when the militant group fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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