Australian ISP Telstra BLOCKS Rebel News' coverage of Israel-Hamas war

In a stunning move, Australian internet service provider Telstra has blocked its customers from accessing a web page set up by Rebel News, aimed at providing on-the-ground reports about the conflict between Hamas terrorists and Israel.

Rebel News had registered the domain name TheTruthAboutTheWar.com, intending to offer a convenient home for readers to access comprehensive reports on the ongoing crisis.

The issue arose after journalist Avi Yemini, announced his plans to cover the recent terrorist attacks in Israel.

Shortly after, frustrated Telstra users began contacting Rebel News, advising that they were unable to load the webpage were met with a warning stating that the site contained potentially 'malicious content' and could 'harm their devices'.

@OzraeliAvi https://t.co/YvQPjyiID6 pic.twitter.com/QJ9dCICdLD

— Bear Skillls 🐍🤸‍♀️🧸 (@BSkillls) October 9, 2023

Rebel News rejects the warning, assuring that the site is safe and has been set up to legitimately report on a matter of significant public interest.

This incident has sparked outrage among viewers in Australia, who expressed their discontent with Telstra’s censorship tactics.

Telstra has a history of content blocking; in 2019, the company restricted access to various websites following the Christchurch terror attacks. Although Telstra claimed to target platforms associated with the attack's live broadcast, users complained that many unrelated websites were also affected at the time.

Telstra defended its actions, citing extreme circumstances as justification for the content blocks. However, critics argue that such moves compromise freedom of information and expression online, raising concerns about the limitations imposed on digital content accessibility.