The portrayal of Muslims on social media—often produced and disseminated with misinformation about any domestic or international event involving Muslims—has contributed to deepening the divide between Hindus and Muslims. The Gaza war, despite its geographical distance from India, is framed within India’s online ecosystem as a proximate conflict and a looming threat posed by Muslims to Hindus.



Content analysis of messages in this ecosystem reveals that beyond expressing support for Israel, accounts affiliated with Hindu extremists equate Muslim hostility toward Israel with Muslim hostility toward Hindus. These messages, often accompanied by images, videos, and text, aim to convince users that Islam and Muslims alone are responsible for the war.



The main approaches of India’s online ecosystem in narrating the Gaza conflict include: depicting Hamas fighters as violent and inhuman; drawing unrealistic parallels between events in India and Israel; comparing terrorist attacks in India with the October 7 Hamas attack; aligning India's historical struggles with those of Palestine; equating Gaza with Kashmir; and making repeated references to Hindutva narratives of India’s past.



Moreover, beneath these messages and comparisons lies a subtext of fear and anxiety about Muslims, effectively preparing Hindu public opinion for harsher measures and confrontations against the Muslim population.