Auckland restaurant Ima had its Instagram account deactivated for 48 hours in what its owner fears could be the result of her advocating for Palestinians.
Yael Shochat and her daughter Avigail Allan are Kiwi-Israelis that have been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, and have spoken about their desire for Israelis and Palestinians to co-exist peacefully. They've also attended pro-Palestinian rallies in Auckland.
The day after the news of Hamas' attack on October 7 broke, they posted a message on their restaurant's social media page, describing it as a terrible day. They also described their fears that the Israeli army's retaliation would lead to an even bigger death toll.
Shochat first noticed her page was down on Saturday afternoon, and it only came back online just after 2pm today. The pair remain unclear as to what the reason for the deactivation was - despite their repeated messages to Instagram's business support page.
While the Israeli-Kiwi chef is relieved the page is now back up and running, she said the Instagram account took her years to get up to 7000 followers and it's a key way of communicating with customers.
"I'm not some young influencer," Shochat said.
"It didn't happen overnight, it took years of work."
She also said the page is a way for her to share her message calling for peace - at a time when she feels there are limited avenues to get this message out.
"You can't silence me," she said.
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