BBC News

Palestinian news outlets have seen a steep drop in audience engagement on their Facebook pages since October 2023.

BBC News Arabic and BBC World Service analysis of more than 100,000 Facebook posts shows that news organisations based in Palestinian territories have seen a 77% drop in engagement since the start of the war in Gaza.

The first comprehensive data analysis by territory since the start of the war on Gaza.

Analysis of similar pages from Israel and neighbouring Arabic speaking countries shows a rise in engagement – the term used for likes, reactions, comments and shares.

It comes after a year of Palestinians complaining that they are being so called ‘Shadow banned’.

On Facebook’s sister platform, Instagram, exclusive access to leaked documents exposes how a change was made to Instagram's algorithm at the start of the war in Gaza, targeting Palestinian users only.

Meta confirmed changes to Instagram’s algorithm were made, and says “temporary product and policy measures” were adopted on Facebook in response to the conflict.

But denies deliberately silencing Palestinian voices and stands by its decision to alter how many people see content from Facebook Pages on safety grounds.

A BBC News Arabic and Specialist Hub collaboration.

Reporter: Joe Tidy

Lead Journalist: Ahmed Nour, additional journalism by Yara Farag

Producer: Natalie Merzougui, additional producing by Rehab Ismail

Assistant Editor: Sarah Saey

Graphic designers: Mark Edwards and Joe Payne

Video Editor: Mohammad Homouda, additional editing by Munira Mohamed

Camera Operators: Shady Altbateby, Kevin McGregor, David Murphy, Marek Polaszewski

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The Latvian foreign minister, Baiba Braze, has described the death of a senior Russian general as "good news".

But how will Russia respond? Together with Economist’s defence editor, Shashank Joshi, they react to Lt Gen Igor Kirillov's assassination and discuss what this can mean for a potential peace negotiations in Ukraine.

Listen to the full interview here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0kcm8rx

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Since 7 October 2023, all schools, universities and training centres in Gaza have remained closed.

Figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Education say that almost 13,000 Palestinian students have been killed since the start of the war with Israel, while 21,000 more students have been wounded in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

They also say that more than 400 government schools have been bombed by the Israeli military.

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There are concerns that the cyclone that hit the French island of Mayotte has caused great loss of life.

Cyclone Chido brought wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph), flattening areas where the poorest lived in sheet-metal roof shacks.

A surgeon said the emergency department at his hospital has seen worryingly few patients given the scale of the destruction.

Authorities said they were having difficulty establishing the number of deaths due to the large number of undocumented migrants - over 100,000 - in a population of 320,000.

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Russia's security service says a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan has been detained over the killing of senior general Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow.

Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when an explosive device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely.

The Russian security service said the unnamed suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence, according to state media agencies.

Ukraine's security service had already claimed it was behind the killing, a source told the BBC on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian source said Kirillov - who was Russia's chemical weapons chief - was "a legitimate target" and alleged he had carried out war crimes.

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Pope Francis was the subject of a foiled assassination plot involving a suicide bomber during a trip to Iraq in March 2021, according to his new memoir.

“Almost everyone advised me against that trip,” the Pope wrote in his autobiography Spera (Hope). The trip was the first ever by a pope to Iraq.

He was visiting Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and former stronghold of the Islamic State jihadist group from 2014 to 2017.

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Luigi Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder over the killing of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the New York district attorney said on Tuesday.

Mr Mangione faces various charges, including first-degree murder, and two counts of second-degree murder, one of which describes the killing as an act of "terrorism", Alvin Bragg said.

"The intent was to sow terror," Bragg said, calling the shooting a "frightening, well-planned and targeted murder".

Mr Mangione is scheduled to appear for a court hearing on 19 December over whether he will be extradited to New York on the charges, though Bragg suggested the suspect may not fight extradition.

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Today, we look at the assassination of a Russian general in Moscow.

Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was at the entrance to a residential block on Tuesday morning when a device hidden in an electric scooter exploded and killed him. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Adam is joined by James Waterhouse, BBC Ukraine Correspondent and Chris Steele - the former head of the Russia Desk at MI6, author of “Unredacted: Russia, Trump and the Fight for Democracy” and a director of Orbis Business Intelligence.

And, Sara Sharif's father and stepmother have been sentenced to life in prison for her murder. Adam speaks to the UK Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza about how to keep children safe.

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French President Emmanuel Macron said he will be travelling to Mayotte "in the coming days", as he pledged to support fellow citizens, civil servants and emergency services involved in rescue efforts.

Macron said he will declare a national day of mourning, in light of "this tragedy, which has shaken each and every one of us".

Cyclone Chido brought wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph) to the French island, flattening areas where the poorest lived in sheet-metal roof shacks.

Rescue workers, including reinforcements from France, are continuing to comb through the debris searching for survivors.

Twenty people have been confirmed dead, but the local prefect said it could be thousands.

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A senior Palestinian official involved in the indirect negotiations of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has told the BBC that talks are in a "decisive and final phase".

Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has also said an agreement is closer than ever.

In recent weeks, the US, Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts – reporting greater willingness by both sides in this 14-month war to conclude a deal.

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