Former Olympian and former Labor senator Nova Peris OAM has been sharing Islamophobic content on social media.

Ms Peris, a Gija, Yawuru and Gagudju woman, is among several First Nations Australians currently in Israel as part of a delegation hosted by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)

National Indigenous Times has seen social media posts retweeted by the former Olympian and Labor Senator expressing stridently anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian views — including one describing Muslims as "Satan worshipping cockroaches [that] need to be eradicated".

The phrase "eradication" of "cockroaches" is widely recognised as dangerous and dehumanising, with historical links to genocidal rhetoric, most notably during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994.

Most of the controversial posts shared on Ms Peris' page were retweets, not original content.

One features a voting card from the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia (IAPA), showing candidates Racquel Austin-Abdullah and Laylah Al-Saimary, with the caption: "Since when did the Australian Voice and Indigenous Voice become Islamic?"

Another tweet includes an image of a cracked dam wall labelled "Israel" holding back a flood of "radical Islam" threatening Europe.

Previously, Ms Peris, who is an outspoken supporter of Israel and has visited the country multiple times since the latest phase of the war began in October 2023, has previously claimed it has become "trendy" to support Palestine and criticised some activists for relying "too heavily" on information from TikTok.

In an interview with The Australian — whose journalist is also part of the AIJAC delegation — she said Indigenous Australians needed to understand the "Jewish story".

"They [Israel] don't want to take over anyone's life. This is their land," Ms Peris said.

Her statement contrasts with widespread international criticism of Israel's expansion into the West Bank, deemed illegal under international law, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.

Last year, Ms Peris quit the Australian Republic Movement after a conflict erupted with her co-chair Craig Foster, who had written to Football Australia about suspending Israel.

She said at the time: "We should be upholding truth and we should be upholding objective dialogue, rather than smear tactics and inaccurate language around genocide and apartheid."

The ongoing war in Gaza, the latest phase of which was triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks which killed over 700 civilians, and 1200 people in total, has since escalated to include Israeli military actions in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and, most recently, Iran.

Palestinian casualties are conservatively estimated to exceed 50,000.

The conflict has also caused divisions among Indigenous Australians. Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has been sharply critical of the Israeli government, accusing Labor in March of being "complicit in genocide in Gaza." She joined over 1,600 organisations calling for the federal government to take stronger action.

Dr Hannah McGlade, a human rights lawyer, said solidarity with Palestine "has only grown stronger" among Indigenous Australians during the war.

Meanwhile, journalist and Blak Sovereignty Movement member Jennetta Quinn-Bates drew parallels between Gaza and systemic injustices in Australia.

"They're still committing genocide here," she told National Indigenous Times last year.

"They may not be dropping bombs, but they're still removing our children. They're still incarcerating our people... that contributes to the high suicide rates in our communities."

Nova Peris and the AIJAC have been approached for comment by National Indigenous Times.