Captured Terror Documents Expose Al Jazeera's Role as a Psychological Warfare Arm for Hamas

New research based on captured Hamas terrorist documents recovered in Gaza reveals the profound and systematic relationship between the terror organization and the Qatari-owned news network, Al Jazeera. A new study from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center details how the network, controlled by the ruling family in Doha, served for years, and intensified during the recent war, as an integral part of Hamas’s propaganda, influence, and psychological warfare apparatus.

The documents expose that the relationship between Al Jazeera and Hamas is not the result of fleeting interest or random ideological alignment, but a structured and ongoing arrangement. Researchers noted that "Hamas saw Al Jazeera as an inseparable part of its psychological warfare system."

Direct Editorial Directives and "The Al Jazeera Phone"

Documents seized in Gaza document the detailed transfer of editorial directives from Hamas's information officers to Al Jazeera's editors and reporters. These instructions included advance coordination on specific phrasing, media terminology, and explicit guidance on how to formulate news reports to avoid "damaging the image of the resistance."

For example, one 2022 document instructed the network to avoid using the term "massacre" following the accidental fall of an Islamic Jihad rocket in Jabaliya that killed Palestinian civilians. The instruction was to emphasize that "the incidents were not caused by the attacks of the occupation." The document noted that this directive was "conveyed to Al Jazeera and was responded to positively by the network's newsroom management."

Even more telling is the revelation of the "Al Jazeera Phone". A document from 2023 exposes Hamas's efforts to establish a secure communication line intended for direct, real-time coordination between the terror group’s military emergency command center and the network's offices in Doha. This secure line was meant for use during emergency situations to ensure Hamas maintained control over the coverage of its military wing, including instructions on what to broadcast, what to conceal, and which terms to use, all aligned with the organization's interests on the ground. The Center notes this provides rare proof of systemic coordination between an international news network and a terrorist organization.

Journalists Operating as Terrorists

The captured documents also contained evidence that numerous journalists working for Al Jazeera in the Gaza Strip simultaneously served as active members of Hamas’s military wing. Some of these individuals reportedly accompanied the infiltration waves into Israel during the October 7th attacks. Among those identified:

The Center further notes that Al Jazeera did not merely report Hamas's statements, but became "an inseparable part of the influence, propaganda, and psychological warfare apparatus" that the movement used during the war. It served as the main platform for official statements by the military wing's spokesman, regularly airing content produced by Hamas’s combat information unit, including videos of attacks against Israeli forces, "proof of life" videos of captives, and false narratives, such as the fabricated claim that Israeli soldiers raped Palestinian women at Shifa Hospital.

Censorship and Exclusive Access

The network actively censored internal criticism, with network reporters cutting off live interviews when Gazan residents began criticizing Hamas. In one instance, a wounded Palestinian at a hospital began to state that "Hamas people hide among civilians," but the reporter immediately ended the interview.

Even during the current ceasefire, Al Jazeera continued to provide extensive coverage to Hamas's messaging, emphasizing its resilience and military capabilities while highlighting the heavy costs to Israel. The network continued to enjoy exclusive field coverage and access to the locations where the transfer of captives and the bodies of the deceased to the Red Cross took place, while coverage of the captives' return to Israel and their families was conspicuously minimal.