Inside Hamas's Sophisticated Media Empire Waging Psychological Warfare

 Jewish Onliner Feb 23, 2026

From Hamas documents seized by the IDF in Gaza, it is clear that Hamas maintains centralized managerial, financial, and strategic control over a broad media ecosystem, including outlets presented publicly as “independent.”

A report, provides an unprecedented window into how the Palestinian terrorist organization coordinates its information warfare against Israel and the broader international community.

At the heart of Hamas’s strategy lies what Israeli analysts term a “hybrid” media ecosystem—a deliberately constructed system designed to create the appearance of press diversity while maintaining absolute editorial control.  The report states. “It is designed to allow Hamas to appear to advocate for media pluralism, while in fact it fully controls the media discourse.” This arrangement also provides the organization with diplomatic and operational flexibility, including the ability to circumvent sanctions and deny association with extreme content by attributing it to “independent” outlets. 

The information department, led by Ali Al-Amoudi, maintains oversight of the entire ecosystem through regular inspections and coordination meetings designed to ensure all media activity aligns with Hamas’s broader strategic messaging and tactical objectives.

Detailed Strategic Blueprint: 25 Projects and $2.24 Million

Perhaps most revealing is captured documents outlining Hamas’s operational plan for 2022-2025, which breaks down the organization’s media strategy into 25 major projects with measurable goals, specific content quotas, assigned budgets, and detailed timelines. The plan’s total budget is listed as $2,240,660, funded through an approved budget of $1,131,160 and an additional overage/exceptional budget of $1,109,000.

 

The projects span two primary categories: Strengthening the Palestinian narrative and strengthening psychological and media warfare against rivals and enemies, and conducting propaganda against the occupation, with support and protection

The distribution reveals significant resource allocation toward public-facing propaganda, with 35 projects accounting for 266 activities budgeted at $1.04 million, compared to 12 internal projects budgeted at $1.2 million.

Psychological Warfare Against Israel and Internal Demoralization

The strategy includes explicit programs for conducting psychological warfare against Israeli society. ” Hamas details tactics including the creation of fabricated news reports, production of satirical content designed to mock Israeli leaders, generation of videos highlighting supposed Israeli military failures, and deployment of targeted paid advertising on social media platforms aimed directly at Israeli audiences in specific geographic regions.

Aggressive Campaign Against Arab Normalization

Hamas’s strategy identifies opposition to Arab-Israeli normalization agreements as a central strategic front. The captured documents reveal coordinated campaigns including the creation of “blacklists” of individuals and organizations engaged in normalizing relations with Israel.

Tailored Narratives for Western Audiences

A significant resource allocation targets Western audiences, with projects focused on developing English-language content and establishing dedicated media infrastructure. Hamas invested in maintaining English-language news websites, publishing weekly reports like “Palestine Report,” recruiting international writers and activists sympathetic to the Palestinian narrative, and training English-speaking spokespeople. The organization even established dedicated “media incubators” for Gaza-based university students studying English.

Financial Dysfunction and External Dependencies

Internal audit reports from Hamas’s Finance Department reveal substantial financial problems plaguing the media network. The audits exposed that 87 percent of Shehab’s customer debts were uncollected old debts totaling over $108,000 USD. 

According to the findings, these outlets depend entirely on direct funding from Hamas, with evidence suggesting financial flows through Turkey. The audits found that supposedly independent outlets maintain no independent financial reporting systems and are completely integrated into Hamas’s central financial apparatus.