Tripadvisor apologises for advertising Gaza holidays on Facebook

Tripadvisor has apologised for advertising a hotel located in Gaza City for Facebook users, following critiques that it was "poorly-timed and triggering".

In a sponsored post circulating on Facebook, Tripadvisor invited users to book a stay at the Al Mathaf Hotel in Gaza City for $183 a night, Stuff reported.

"It's time for an escape! Choose from thousands of traveler-trusted (sic) hotels on Tripadvisor," the caption reads.

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The hotel advertised is located in the Gaza Strip – a region currently experiencing an ongoing humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war.

More than 11,070 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths.

The federal government continues to warn Australians not to travel to Gaza because of security concerns and the "volatile security situation".

On Monday another 31 Australians escaped Gaza, reaching Egypt through the Rafah crossing. It's believed more than 60 Australians were in Gaza when Hamas launched its terror attack on Israel, triggering a weeks-long retaliatory response and invasion.

In an email to Stuff, a Tripadvisor spokesperson apologised for the offence the advert had caused.

"Elements of our social media marketing programme are automated, populating adverts with content based on user search history," the spokesperson said.

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"Despite taking steps to ensure impacted locations are temporarily suppressed by our systems during times of conflict, in this case there was an error on our part which led to this particular advert being generated.

"We understand the distress this has caused and have taken steps to stop this happening again."

9News.com.au has contacted Tripadvisor for comment.

After clicking on the sponsored ad, users are redirected to the accommodations listing on the Tripadvisor website and a travel notice appears at the top of the page.

"It is currently recommended to avoid all non-essential travel to this area due to armed conflict and serious safety risks," the notice said.

Although users are able to select check in and out dates, it doesn't appear to allow a booking to be made.

Facebook users took to the comment section of the sponsored ad to voice their concerns, with one user asking if it was a joke.

"Nothing like a war-torn country to relax in. Throw in a dash of genocide for good measure," another user said.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, retaliation by Israeli authorities has resulted in telecommunication services in the Gaza Strip being disrupted.

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A Palestinian group in New Zealand called the ad "poorly-timed and triggering".

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, retaliation by Israeli authorities has resulted in telecommunication services in the Gaza Strip being disrupted.

Palestinians in the diaspora are using social media as a way of keeping up to date with what is happening on the ground in Gaza, and using their loved ones' last active status as a way of determining whether they were still alive, Saadeh said.

He questioned the algorithm and said it would be "horrible" for people who have lost family to come across an ad encouraging them to book a stay in the same location where their loved ones just died.

This article has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.