Al Jazeera’s language echoed that of Hamas. Throughout the war, its journalists described Palestinian terrorists as “resistance” fighters and “martyrs” after their deaths. Hamas attacks were characterized as “operations” while Israeli military responses were termed “aggression”—the same terminology employed by Hamas itself.
During and after the Oct. 7 massacre,
Al Jazeera aired live footage of Hamas infiltrations into Israeli territory, much of it filmed by reporters linked to the group’s military wing. The network consistently broadcast Hamas statements and interviews with senior officials, serving as a de facto mouthpiece for the terror organization.
It also disseminated content produced by Hamas’s Combat Media Unit, including hostage proof-of-life videos and fabricated accusations of Israeli war crimes.
Recovered Hamas documents revealed “direct editorial coordination,” according to the ITIC report.
A 2022 memo instructed
Al Jazeera to minimize civilian deaths from a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rocket and to prevent on-air criticism of Hamas. Another directed network journalists to coordinate with Hamas’s military before airing reports.
In one case, a Gazan who started to criticize Hamas was pushed aside and not allowed to finish during an on-air interview.
The documents show that many journalists who worked for
Al Jazeera in the Gaza Strip were themselves Hamas terrorists. Some of them were among the forces that invaded Israel during the attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Al Jazeera, founded in Qatar in 1996, presents itself as an open platform for diverse opinions, but its coverage and editorial line consistently favor radical Sunni Islamist movements, particularly Hamas, according to ITIC.
Qatar hosts Hamas’s “external leadership” and provides the group with financial and political backing. It has used
Al Jazeera to amplify Hamas propaganda and promote its narratives across the Arab world, according to ITIC.
Hamas attempted to set up a direct line with the Al Jazeera offices in Doha, according to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.
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