While the sounds of bombs and gunfire have stopped, albeit momentarily, another battle rages on across the global interweb.

Not often discussed is the Israel-Palestine social media flag conflict, a relentless conflict that extends far beyond the battlefields of the Middle East, aimed at winning hearts and minds through psychological emoji-based warfare.

Each day, digital combatants bravely display the colours of their favoured faction. Instagram, Facebook, and X are ablaze as flags from both sides pepper the internet, causing untold misery in their wake.

So far, digital clashes have caused the suspension of thousands of accounts, the muting of even more, and the amount of people triggered is thought to be in the millions. Often, it’s the digital scars that cut deepest.

‘I feel like it’s my duty,’ said John Richards, a Lance Corporal Keyboard Warrior from Wiltshire and unofficial member of the IDF (Internet De-fenders). ‘My grandfather visited Jerusalem once, and it’s only right that I show my support by superimposing an Israeli flag across a picture of me drinking a beer in Kos.’

However, the often fickle nature of online support has never been more apparent. Monitoring of Wirral-based hair stylist Rachel Kitson’s Facebook page revealed a fluid position on the ongoing conflict, with Israeli flags replaced with Palestinian ones following reports of the IDF bombing of a hospital.

‘I just assumed the Islamists were the bad guys,’ a flustered Kitson conceded when confronted with her flip-flopping. ‘But now, I don’t know who to support. It’s really complicated and I don’t enjoy having to think about it or do any research.’

Another X user, John Wilkins, also swapped allegiances last week after Israel ‘messed up’ his acca following their recent 1-1 draw with Switzerland, vowing never to bet on them again, in football or in war.

With a fragile truce on the ground allowing for hostage swaps and much-needed aid into the embattled Gaza strip, many have asked whether a similar agreement can be reached online. For now, there is no end in sight.