Sun 01 December 2024:
A computer game that allows players to recreate elements of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel has been removed from the gaming platform Steam in Britain at the request of counterterrorism police, according to emails and the game’s developer.
The game, Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, was originally released in 2022 and features the character Ahmad al-Falastini, a young Palestinian seeking revenge against Israeli occupation soldiers. An updated version, Operation al-Aqsa Flood, which shares the name of the Hamas-led resistance operation launched on 7 October 2023, was released on Steam earlier this month.
The updated version includes a scene depicting the main character entering Israel’s Re’im military base via motorised hang glider, similar to the Palestinian resistance operation, and eliminating occupation soldiers. According to Al Jazeera, emails reveal that Valve Corporation removed the game after being contacted by the Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) on 24 October.
“As with any authority for a region that oversees and governs what content can be made available, we have to comply with their requests,” Valve stated. The game remains available in other countries, except Germany and Australia, where it is restricted.
In a statement, developer Palestinian-Brazilian Nidal Nijm is said to have replied “It’s sad to hear this, because, as we all know, my game is not too much different than any other Shooter Game on Steam, like Call of Duty, in example.” Nijm also criticised the removal, saying, “UK authorities consider my game as ‘terrorist’ propaganda.”
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A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) is a national Counter Terrorism Policing unit based within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, which is dedicated to the assessment of potential terrorist and extremist material found online by the public.”
“The CTIRU works closely with a range of technology, social media and online service providers, but we do not comment on specific content or any communication we may have with specific platforms or providers.”
A report by 404 Media states: “The game’s Steam page does not mention Hamas, but the player character has the recognizable green headband associated with the organization, and the game is clearly suggesting players are Hamas or another Palestinian armed group by referencing the name of the operation and the paragliders.”
-MEMO
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