Key Takeaways:
- A recent report provides evidence for the close ties between Hamas and Al Jazeera, showing how the terror group uses the news outlet to peddle its propaganda and anti-Israel misinformation.
- Several Al Jazeera journalists have also been proven to be Hamas terrorists, reporting from Gaza while also serving in the organization’s terror brigades.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists treats several of these terrorist-journalists as legitimate media personnel, calling into question its objectivity and credibility as a media advocacy organization.
For any informed observer of the Middle East, it probably didn’t come as a shock when the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) recently released a report exposing the ties between Al Jazeera and Hamas.
From its unfettered access to Hamas’ terror tunnels and callous hostage release ceremonies to its continual airing of Hamas propaganda and parroting of the group’s talking points, it was apparent that the Qatar-backed news outlet and the internationally recognized terror organization were on the same page.
The ITIC report, however, reveals the extent of the connections between Hamas and Al Jazeera, as well as the degree to which these two Qatar-funded entities are closely intertwined.
🎥 Al Jazeera: News or Propaganda?
Behind its “progressive” brand, Al Jazeera pushes Qatar’s anti-Israel agenda. Owned by a regime that funds Hamas and restricts freedoms, it’s time to stop treating it as unbiased—it’s state-sponsored propaganda. pic.twitter.com/5GA4tUCNiK
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 12, 2025
Based on documents that were seized by the IDF throughout its two-year war against Hamas in Gaza, it is clear that Al Jazeera not only shared similar values with Hamas, but it was actually taking directives from the terror group.
In fact, the connection was so tight that, in 2023, Hamas installed the “Al Jazeera phone,” which allowed the terror group’s war room to communicate directly with the news outlet to frame the narrative being aired and to avoid anything that Hamas didn’t want broadcast.
Al Jazeera not only aired Hamas-approved news, but it also silenced criticism of the Palestinian terror group. In several documented incidents, Al Jazeera reporters cut off Palestinian interviewees during the war after they started to criticize Hamas or its patrons, Qatar and Turkey.
EXPOSED:
Qatar’s Al Jazeera gives Hamas a propaganda and psychological warfare platform.Hamas operatives, from rocket launchers to hostage takers, work for Al Jazeera. Terror propaganda is not journalism.
Detailed report: https://t.co/KZSDfyJYli pic.twitter.com/Q8YGbqTkAw
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 21, 2025
Even more disturbing, however, is the part of the ICIT report exposing the Hamas operatives who moonlighted as journalists for Al Jazeera during the war.
At least five Al Jazeera journalists were members of Hamas, helping to shape the mainstream media’s narrative about the October 7 attacks, Israel’s war against Hamas, and the treatment of Palestinian civilians throughout the war.
Despite their violent affiliation, four of these terrorist-journalists have also been accepted by the general journalism community, treated as respected and professional colleagues by such mainstream organizations as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The CPJ condemned the deaths of both Anas Al-Sharif (who is alleged to have been a Hamas squad leader as well as a member of its elite Nukhba force) and Hossam Shabat (who is alleged to have been a sniper in Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion) and included them in its list of journalists who have been killed during the war.
The CPJ also expressed its concern over the targeting and wounding of Ismail Abu Omar, who is alleged to have been a platoon commander and member of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigades. Abu Omar also helped cover the October 7 attacks and, based on his social media presence from that day, may have had advanced notice of the impending attack.
The organization also took issue with Israel’s claim that Talal Aruki was a member of Hamas (which it seemed to dismiss) even though the documents show him to be a Hamas squad commander.
Meet “journalist” Anas Al-Sharif.
He shot video for Al Jazeera…and launched rockets for Hamas.🧵 pic.twitter.com/qvQSUi9T1h— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 12, 2025
The revelation that the CPJ considers some Hamas terrorists as professional journalists is sadly not surprising. Since the beginning of the war, HonestReporting has been tracking the CPJ’s running list of Palestinian journalists killed during the war, showing that over 40% of those listed were either terrorist combatants or affiliated with media run by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or other terrorist organizations.
The CPJ’s inability or unwillingness to separate genuine journalists and media workers from terrorists and propagandists camouflaging themselves as bona fide reporters came to the fore recently, when it mourned the death of Saleh al-Jafarawi, a Hamas propagandist and charlatan known to the general public as Mr. FAFO.
When professional organizations refuse to uphold professional standards and provide cover for terrorists and propagandists, it not only discredits these organizations but also muddies the waters of genuine journalism, casting a giant question mark over the trustworthiness of reporters and their coverage of the war in Gaza.
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region. Get updates direct to your phone. Join our WhatsApp and Telegram channels!
