New Al Jazeera Program Reveals Coordinated Effort With Hamas To Reshape October 7 Narrative

Latest Developments

Al Jazeera’s Cooperation With Hamas to Reframe Terror: A report published on February 14 by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center details direct communication and cooperation between Hamas and Qatar’s state-owned Al Jazeera news network. The report concludes that Al Jazeera’s recent investigative program “What Is Hidden Is Greater” attempted to present a narrative of Hamas’s “victory” in Gaza following the onset of the current ceasefire. Additionally, the program used interviews with members of Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades to falsely present the October 7, 2023, attacks as a justified military operation “intended only to harm Israeli military personnel and abduct soldiers while not harming children and the elderly.”
Outlet Aired Exclusive Footage With Senior Hamas Figures: Al Jazeera’s program aired exclusive, previously unseen footage with former senior Hamas members Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar taken during the war. Deif was seen in Hamas command bunkers examining maps and giving orders, and Sinwar was shown moving through the rubble of Rafah disguised as an elderly man. The IDF killed both Sinwar and Deif during the war.
Documents Show Hamas Orders to Murder Jews, Take Civilian Hostages: Despite Al Jazeera’s coordinated effort to reshape Hamas’s October 7 atrocities as a military operation, documents discovered by the IDF during the war display instructions from al-Qassam Brigades leaders to brutalize Jews, both soldiers and civilians, “in the name of Islam.” Additionally, an Arabic-Hebrew phrasebook was found in the Palestinian enclave containing sentences like “Take off your pants,” “I will kill you,” and “We will kill the captives,” along with phrases for directing men, women, and children hostages.

FDD Expert Response

“The general public must understand that Al Jazeera effectively acts as Hamas’s de-facto media arm to the Arab world and the international community. Al Jazeera has aired favorable interviews, documentaries, and ‘exclusive’ footage from Hamas for many years, requiring close relationship and coordination between both parties. Thus, it’s not a coincidence that Al Jazeera news crews have favorable access to Hamas over local media outlets in Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“I’m not sure how much longer the Treasury Department can avoid the elephant in the room that Al Jazeera has provided material support to a designated terrorist organization and should likely be subject to terrorism sanctions authorities at this point. Certainly, Congress could compel a determination to be made within a certain period of time, and victims of October 7 can file civil suits for damages.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor

“Let’s not forget that Qatar is the engine behind the Al Jazeera propaganda machine. How many times and in how many ways can Qatar demonstrate its loyalty to Hamas before Washington strips the emirate of its Major Non-NATO Ally status?” — Natalie Ecanow, Senior Research Analyst

“Al Jazeera and Hamas continue to blur the line between journalism and jihad. The Qatari state-owned media outlet’s broad access into the deepest pits of Hamas is not by chance. The two are deeply intertwined and part of the same team spreading hatred of the West.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst