Red triangle (Palestinian symbol)

Symbol used by Hamas militant group

An inverted red triangle

During the Gaza war (2023–present), an inverted red triangle has been used as a symbol by Hamas and by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Protestors' usage of the symbol originates from combat footage published by Hamas during the war that uses inverted red triangles as arrows to indicate Israeli military targets, such as tanks, just before they are struck.[1][2][3] This in turn derives from the red triangle that appears on the Palestinian flag.[4]

## Historical origins

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The red triangle appears in the 1917 flag of the Arab Revolt,[5] with the color red symbolizing Arab independence and unity.[5] The red triangle also appears in the derivative Palestinian flag, which was used during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine against British rule and Jewish emigration. In a 1938 photograph, Palestinian rebels are seeing waving a black, white and green flag with a red triangle, with a cross and a crescent, symbolizing interreligious unity, inside the triangle.[6]

Despite older historical attestations, some theorized the symbol originates from Nazi concentration camp badges.[7][8] However, the Nazis used the inverted red triangle to identify prisoners with political views opposed to Nazism, not necessarily Jewish prisoners.[4]

## Use since 2023

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Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, began using a red triangle to mark Israeli targets in propaganda videos since November 2023, at the onset of the Gaza war.[4]

Since then, the red triangle has appeared in signs and graffiti made by Palestinian supporters in Germany,[7] Canada,[4] the United States,[4] Australia[9] and elsewhere. It has sometimes been painted on private homes or businesses targeted by protesters, such as the apartment building of Columbia University's Chief Operating Officer,[10] or a popular Jewish-owned bakery in Sydney.[9]

The red triangle emoji (🔻) has been widely used by Palestinian supporters on social media.[11] In October 2024, it was reported that Meta had decided to begin removing posts that used the symbol in the context of the Israel–Palestine conflict.[11]

In July 2024, the Senate of Berlin voted to ban the symbol following an urgent motion filed by the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party.[12] Niklas Schrader, a member of Die Linke, cautioned that banning the symbol could unintentionally lead to the outlawing of other organizations. The Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime displays the triangle on their flag accompanied by prisoner stripes, a design that has also been seen at pro-Israel demonstrations.[7]

## See also

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* Pink triangle
* Watermelon (Palestinian symbol)

## References

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1. ^ Foltyn, Simona (26 April 2024). "'We are with them': support for Hamas grows among Palestinians in Lebanon". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
2. ^ Rushing, Ellie (10 May 2024). "Explaining the inverted red triangle symbol that appeared at the Penn encampment this week". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
3. ^ "A worrying trend sees symbol from Hamas propaganda used on campus | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
4. ^ a b c d e Stechyson, Natalie (4 June 2024). "What does the inverted red triangle used by some pro-Palestinian demonstrators symbolize?". CBC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
5. ^ a b Stechyson, Natalie (4 June 2024). "What does the inverted red triangle used by some pro-Palestinian demonstrators symbolize?". CBC News.
6. ^ Iraqi, Amjad (29 May 2023). "The long history of Israel's war on the Palestinian flag". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
7. ^ a b c Jackson, James (7 July 2024). "Berlin bans red triangle symbol used by Hamas to mark targets". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
8. ^ "Pro-Palestinian activists in Berlin adopt new Hamas symbol". i24 News. 15 June 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
9. ^ a b "Jewish bakery in Sydney vandalized with antisemitic graffiti amid tensions". The Jerusalem Post. 14 October 2024.
10. ^ Markoe, Lauren (9 August 2024). "Palestinian protests: Columbia University leader's home vandalized". The Forward.
11. ^ a b DiBenedetto, Chase (4 October 2024). "Meta deems red triangle a proxy for Hamas support, will enforce removal". Mashable.
12. ^ Fatima, Sakina (9 July 2024). "German House votes to ban red triangle symbol used by Hamas". The Siasat Daily. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.