Hours after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, a WhatsApp message purporting to list the names of 17 Indian Hindus killed or wounded in the assault went viral in India, drawing horrified reactions. But the list was fake — none were hurt.
In the following weeks, hundreds of messages referencing the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group spread rapidly on Indian social media accounts, said fact-checkers and researchers documenting online disinformation about India’s Muslim minority.
Many of those messages warned Hindus that their safety could be at risk from Muslims…
