YouTube has quietly removed more than 700 videos and terminated the accounts of three major Palestinian human rights organisations, reportedly over US-imposed sanctions, The Intercept revealed.

The deleted channels belonged to Al-Haq, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights — all known for documenting alleged violations of international law by Israel in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

According to The Intercept, the removed videos included investigations into Israeli airstrikes, survivor testimonies, and footage related to the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

The takedowns occurred in early October, shortly after the US government sanctioned the organisations for cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is probing alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

YouTube confirmed that the terminations followed a review prompted by the sanctions, citing its legal obligation to comply with applicable trade and sanctions laws.

Human rights defenders and Palestinian groups criticised the move as an attempt to silence Palestinian voices and erase critical evidence, noting that the organisations received no prior warning before their channels were deleted.

They said the decision targeted groups documenting rights abuses rather than extremist content.

In December 2023, South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), joined later by several countries, including Spain, Ireland, Libya, Mexico, Belgium, and Türkiye.

The ICJ has since issued three provisional measures, ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts and ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 69,000 people—mostly women and children—and injured over 170,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached on October 10 under a 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, reports say Israel has violated the truce multiple times.