Responding to the October 7th Attack: Analyzing Israeli Public Organizations' Crisis Communication and Citizen Engagement on Social Media

Following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, in Israel, communication instantly became an essential tool for public officials needing to inform and protect the population. This paper analyzes how Facebook was used by Israeli public organizations after the attack, and the impact of social-media content on citizen engagement in the case of a terrorist attack. Such attacks often involve unpredictable, rapidly evolving situations that require immediate and accurate information dissemination to counteract misinformation and panic. Our analysis helps better understand audiences' reactions based on the contents shared. By identifying engaging messages, public administrations can refine their strategies to efficiently share critical information on social media. Based on comparisons of post content categories, our analysis reveals that while news-related posts generate more engagement, the opposite applies to reassurance and empowerment. The highest levels of engagement, in absolute terms, are observed when public authorities publish posts about citizen collaboration.