Bedouin Teen Charged with Inciting Terrorism After Praising Hamas

Israel's State Prosecutor's Office has filed a severe indictment against a 19-year-old Bedouin man from Segev Shalom, following a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Southern District's Major Crimes Unit. The indictment charges him with 40 counts of inciting terrorism and 23 counts of identifying with a terror organization, with prosecutors requesting he be held in custody until the legal proceedings conclude.

The investigation revealed a significant radicalization process the young man underwent after the October 7th Hamas attack. This led to continuous activity of disseminating terror content online, as reported by Lee Ayish, head of the crime desk, on the central news edition.

According to the indictment, over a four-month period, the defendant shared 45 inciting posts on his TikTok account. These included footage of Hamas terrorists in Gaza border communities, praise for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the "Nukhba" (Hamas commando unit), and a video glorifying a terrorist who allegedly murdered 20 Israelis in ten minutes. One post was described as a direct call to terrorism, framing jihad and combat as religious duties akin to prayer and fasting, and the sole path to "purify" the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

During his interrogation, the young man explained his motives, admitting, "I didn't like Hamas in the past, but after October 7th, I saw many videos of them on TikTok, and it made me like them. After they entered Israel on October 7th, I liked them more." The online activity persisted for four months, exposing dozens of contents encouraging attacks on civilians and security forces.

Given the severity of the offenses, the prosecution has requested the court to detain the defendant until the conclusion of his trial.