Turkey blocks Instagram amid controversy over Hamas leader's death
4:12 PM EDT, August 2, 2024
Reuters reported on Friday that Turkey has blocked access to the social media platform Instagram. The national regulator did not provide a specific reason for the decision or specify how long it will be in effect.
On Wednesday, Fahrettin Altun, head of the communications department at the presidency, criticized the platform for blocking posts expressing condolences after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. He described the action as "censorship" and noted that Instagram did not cite any rule violations in this context.
Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, has not yet commented on Altun's remarks or the decision to block access to the service. Reuters noted that access to the Instagram app is entirely restricted.
On Friday, a national day of mourning was observed in Turkey in connection with Haniyeh's death. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the observance the previous day.
Hamas leader is dead
On Wednesday, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas announced that its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in a "Zionist" airstrike on his residence in Tehran.
Haniyeh's death occurred a few hours after an Israeli retaliatory attack on Hezbollah. In an air raid on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, the chief military commander of the organization, Fuad Shukr, was killed.
The attack was in response to Saturday's shelling of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, which resulted in the deaths of 12 children and teenagers. Hezbollah has been attacking Israel since the start of the war in Gaza to support Hamas. Iran supports both Hezbollah and Hamas.
