Article

Blood Libel Accusations Resurface in the Wake of Oct. 7

In recent years, there have been a number of antisemitic accusations of Israel harvesting organs of Palestinians, including during the post-Oct. 7 period. These claims are a modern iteration of the age-old antisemitic blood libel, which alleges that Jews used the blood of Christian children to make Matzah for Passover. Ironically, such accusations have surfaced even when Israel was  providing humanitarian aid, as in the case of Haiti after it had been struck by an earthquake in 2010.

Since the Oct. 7 massacre perpetrated by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli military action in Gaza, some anti-Israel voices in the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the United States have been using cartoons and social media posts to accuse Israel of stealing organs from Palestinians killed in Gaza, and to claim that “child murder” was a preferred “ritual” for Israel, with babies being a “favorite target.” Several depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as consuming Palestinian blood, while others used imagery of bleeding babies to play up charges of blood libel.

Notably, the wide range of voices making such allegations – from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, and Muslim clerics, to US far left activists and European self-described human rights groups – illustrates the persistency of this age-old antisemitic canard across the religious, geographic and political spectrums.

Here are recent examples of iterations of blood libel accusations:

Al-Masry Al-Yawm, December 14, 2023 (Egypt)
The cartoon’s title: “The Occupation Steals the Martyrs’ Organs.”

blood libel


Al-Ghad, January 6, 2024 (Jordan)

blood libel cartoon


Al-Masry Al-Yawm, January 5, 2024 (Egypt)

blood libel cartoon


UK-based self-described “investigative journalist” Sulaiman Ahmed X post:

blood libel cartoon


Cartoonist Bob Moran X post:

blood libel cartoon


Journalist Aaron Maté: “Child murder is among the most favored rituals of the ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’ death cult.” [link]

blood libel cartoon


Australian Imam Ahmad Zoud during sermon: “The most important trait of Jews is that they are bloodthirsty.”

blood libel cartoon


Graffitti in Sydney, Australia: “Jews kill kids.”

blood libel cartoon


Swedish-Algerian Journalist Yayha Abu Zakariya repeated the age-old allegation that Jews used the blood of Christian children to make Matzah for Passover:

blood libel cartoon


Electronic Intifada Director Ali Abunimah X post: “Along with babies, journalists are one of the favorite targets of these cowardly Ziochopaths.”

blood libel cartoon


Poet Mohammed El-Kurd X post: “tell a zionist it’s not ok to slaughter children then boom they throw a temper tantrum.”

blood libel cartoon


The Gaza Government Media Office reports that the Israeli army violated the corpses of 80 Palestinians, delivering them mutilated with stolen organs.

blood libel cartoon


Both UK-based self-described “investigative journalist” Sulaiman Ahmed
and The Gray Zone News propagated allegations by Euro-Med and the Gaza Health Ministry whereby Israel harvested organs from Gazans.

blood libel cartoon


Mondowiess similarly propagated these accusations of “maimed bodies being returned by Israeli force, with evidence of alleged organ harvesting.”

blood libel cartoon


A truck in NYC with the sign: “Israel steals Palestinian organs.”

blood libel cartoon


The Gray Zone News Editor Max Blumenthal X post: “Has Israel kidnapped Shifa hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya as punishment for exposing the Israeli military’s theft of bodies from the hospital’s morgue & courtyard? Will it use the stolen bodies to construct a new lie, or do something even more gruesome - like organ theft?”

blood libel cartoon


Gigi Hadid shared a reel video accusing Israel of harvesting organs of dead Palestinians.

blood libel cartoon