How Al Jazeera Colluded with Hamas to Manipulate the Narrative about October 7th
Despite Al Jazeera’s effort to sanitize the atrocities that Hamas committed on October 7, the IDF uncovered documents revealing instructions from Hamas leaders to brutalize Jews “in the name of Islam"
On January 24, 2025, Al-Jazeera aired a special episode of its investigative program What Is Hidden Is Greater, focusing on the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack—dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Flood. The program provided an inside look at the attack from the perspective of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, featuring previously unseen footage and first-hand accounts from key figures within Hamas. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) analyzed the episode, concluding that it was an attempt to reinforce Hamas’s narrative while downplaying the true extent of the attack.
The Content of the Broadcast
The program aired never-before-seen footage of top Hamas leaders, including Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Yahya Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in Gaza. The footage showed Deif during preparations for the attack in the operations room, while Sinwar was portrayed as a leader on the battlefield, moving through Rafah before his reported death in September 2024.
The Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) assessed that the broadcast was a deliberate effort to reinforce Hamas’s “victory” narrative after the Gaza ceasefire. The portrayal of Sinwar as an on-the-ground leader, rather than one hiding in tunnels, also served to mythologize his role within Hamas.
The episode attempted to frame the October 7 attack as a military operation aimed at targeting Israeli soldiers and capturing them as hostages, rather than a mass terrorist attack on civilians. Despite Al Jazeera’s effort to sanitize the atrocities that Hamas committed on October 7th, the IDF uncovered documents revealing instructions from Hamas leaders to brutalize Jews “in the name of Islam.” Furthermore, the IDF also uncovered an Arabic-Hebrew phrasebook with phrases such as “Take off your pants”, “I will kill you”, and “We will kill the captives”, and phrases for ordering men, women, and children hostages.
Hamas's Justifications and the Propaganda Narrative
Throughout the broadcast, Hamas operatives and commanders justified the attack using a combination of religious and political rhetoric. Some of the key justifications presented included claims that Israel mistreated Palestinian prisoners under the leadership of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The program perpetuated the false narrative that Israel sought to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple. Hamas blamed Israel for intensifying the blockade, claiming that the attack was a response to what it called a deliberate effort to “starve” the Palestinian people. The program suggested that Hamas was responding to an alleged planned Israeli invasion, portraying Operation al-Aqsa Flood as a necessary “preemptive” action. Hamas claimed that deteriorating economic conditions left them with no choice but to act aggressively against Israel.
Al-Jazeera’s Promotion of Hamas Propaganda
The program’s exclusive access to Hamas leadership, including footage of their command structure, suggests a close relationship between Al-Jazeera and Hamas. The investigative report also highlighted that Al-Jazeera journalists had unparalleled access to hostage releases and Hamas military operations, further raising concerns about the network’s impartiality.
Strategic Planning and Execution of the Attack
According to the program, the operation was planned over a long period of time during which the main obstacle, the border security fence, was studied in order to breach it when the time came. Information was collected regarding the thickness of its concrete, how it was constructed, and its electronic warning devices. Visual intelligence on the IDF was gathered, including footage of officers and soldiers during patrols near the fence. One of the clips broadcast in the program showed footage of the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, Col. Asaf Hamami, who was killed on October 7 and whose body was taken to the Gaza Strip. According to al-Haddad, Hamas managed to obtain a secret document belonging to IDF intelligence through a security breach into one of its servers. He stated that the document was analyzed, translated, and integrated into the strategic planning of the operation.
The Aftermath and the Continuing Conflict
Despite the war that followed, Hamas used the program to highlight what it considers to be its achievements. Hamas claimed to have inflicted significant losses on the IDF, citing internal political disputes within Israel as proof of the attack’s success. The program framed the October 7 attack as evidence of Israel’s intelligence and military failures. Hamas continues to leverage media narratives to present itself as a resistance movement rather than a terrorist organization.
The revelations of embedded Hamas operatives, strategic misinformation, and narrative manipulation suggest that Al Jazeera has been an active participant in Hamas’ psychological warfare. As Israel continues its operations in Gaza, the battle over information remains just as crucial as the fight on the ground.