Widespread Reactions to Hamas Attack on Israel in Social Media; The 'Indisputable' Role of the Islamic Republic

The attack by the Hamas militant group on Israeli territory on Saturday, October 7, has sparked widespread reactions in Persian-speaking social media, with a unanimous focus on the role of the Islamic Republic. Hamas, which is supported militarily and financially by the Islamic Republic, is recognized as a terrorist group by the United States and several other countries. In this context, supporters of the Islamic Republic on social media have expressed support for the Palestinian militants' attack on Israel. Conversely, opponents and critics of the Islamic Republic have condemned the attack, pointing to the Islamic Republic's support for Hamas. Prince Reza Pahlavi, in a post on 'X', condemned the attack and called the Islamic Republic's support for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups undeniable. He added, 'The fact that officials of the Islamic Republic celebrated today’s tragic news is further evidence that they have no qualms about supporting terror and violence against civilians.' Nazanin Afshin-Jam, a human rights activist on 'X', described the attacks as 'horrific,' stating, 'Thousands of rockets were fired at civilian areas, citizens were slaughtered in front of children, and this action is largely supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the biggest supporter of terrorism.' Vahid Beheshti, a human rights activist on 'X', wrote that the Islamic Republic, in his description, played a role in timing the attack to overshadow the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, divert international attention from the crisis in Iran due to the uncertain status of Armita Garavand, and distract from Narges Mohammadi receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Hossein Aghaei, an international relations researcher, also identified the Islamic Republic as the source of the attack on Israel, which he claims was aimed at obstructing the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Alireza Nader, a political analyst, stated that as long as Iran is not free, Israel will never be at peace. Despite U.S. officials repeatedly emphasizing that the $6 billion is solely for 'humanitarian purposes' in 'limited and aligned' accounts with 'existing sanctions exemptions' and for 'non-sanctioned items,' some individuals in social media have linked this issue to Hamas's attack on Israel today. Fariborz Karami-Zand, a former police officer, wrote, 'The $6 billion that the Biden administration gave to the Islamic Republic is currently being spent by Hamas.' Ammar Maleki, an assistant professor at Tilburg University, wrote, 'When you negotiate with a terrorist regime in Iran, which is the godfather of hostage-takers, and instead of punishing them, you hand them $6 billion, they do not use that money for honorable purposes. Instead, they buy more weapons and provide them to their terrorist militants to take hostages elsewhere and earn even more money, and this cycle continues.' Darya Safayi, a member of the Belgian Parliament, wrote, 'A few weeks ago, Khamenei met with Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, in Tehran. On Tuesday, October 3, he threatened Israel with destruction on the social media platform X. Today, Hamas attacked Israel.' Masih Alinejad, a political activist, also referred to Khamenei's threats against Israel on 'X' following his meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, urging Elon Musk to ban him from the social media platform. Ms. Alinejad also added that it is essential for the European Union to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization immediately and to stop the threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran against those seeking normalization of relations with Israel. The Islamic Republic's support for Hamas; the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Japan condemned the attack on Israel. The attack by Hamas militants on Israeli territory; Israel: 'The terrorist organization Hamas will pay a very heavy price.' The number of civilian casualties in Israel is increasing; more than one thousand have been injured.