Hamas Reorganizes Media Committee to Shape Narratives and Image
Hamas has reportedly reformed its media committee to disseminate narratives favorable to the organization, improve its public image among Gazans, and discredit its opponents. Palestinian sources revealed to i24news that the committee, overseen by officials from Al-Aqsa Media Network, Safa, Al-Resalah Net, and Quds Network, has recently established a social media team. This team operates through WhatsApp groups and other applications, disseminating reports attributed to "sources" to bolster Hamas's official narrative and amplify statements from its spokespeople and leaders.
The committee, managed by a specialized media center called the Youth Center, is recruiting young individuals to spread counter-narratives aimed at undermining critics of Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank. It is also reportedly exploiting internal divisions within the Fatah movement while simultaneously projecting a positive image of Hamas's efforts to form a broad electoral coalition with various Palestinian factions.
Sources indicated that Hamas felt "betrayed" when the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) refused to join the coalition, though Hamas did not directly attack the PFLP, instead focusing on improving its media portrayal. Hamas then shifted its focus to Fatah's internal disputes, but was surprised by a reconciliation between Hussein al-Sheikh and Jibril Rajoub, who was elected Secretary-General of Fatah's Central Committee. Concurrently, Hamas has been promoting claims that Marwan Barghouti will run for elections independently, a claim yet to be confirmed.
Initially, the media committee allegedly claimed elections would be postponed due to Fatah's internal disagreements. However, Fatah's insistence on proceeding with the elections led the committee to shift its narrative to focus on those internal disputes. When the PFLP, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and Islamic Jihad requested a postponement, Hamas halted its attacks and concentrated on the necessity of forming a broad coalition to counter the risks of fragmentation, especially in light of a potential reconciliation between Mohammed Dahlan's faction and Fatah.
The committee's activities extend beyond electoral politics. It has been used to create posters and fabricate news reports, falsely portraying the recently arrested head of Hamas's internal security, Mu'een al-Arbeed, as a mere "ordinary officer" and downplaying the significance of his arrest. The committee also falsely claimed that the special forces unit involved in the arrest had entered Gaza for the first time, a claim refuted by local sources and residents who confirmed the unit's presence for two weeks prior.
Furthermore, the committee recently disseminated news alleging that the Journalists Syndicate had apologized to Gaza's Ministry of Health regarding external patient transfers. The Syndicate has denied this, causing controversy with the Ministry, whose officials were compelled to deny the report in WhatsApp groups.
