Is Al Jazeera Providing Material Support to Hamas?

On January 25, the world watched in revulsion as Hamas paraded four young Israeli female hostages through a Gaza square. They were surrounded by hordes of militants garbed in fatigues, donning black face-concealing masks, and green Hamas head gear proclaiming “Jihad for Liberation.” The militants clutched and clicked their AK-47 guns. 

The grotesque display continued as the women were marched onto an outdoor stage, forced to wave to the unruly crowd. Hamas had kidnapped the women in their pajamas on the morning of October 7, 2023 and at gun point, violently dragged them to Gaza. On stage, the hostages, flanked by militants, held “certificates” and “gift bags” from their captors as part of an elaborate faux ceremony to depict them as women returning from a vacation-like trip, masking the brutality they endured for 477 days.

One would expect nothing less of Hamas, designated as a terrorist entity by the U.S. and a dozen other countries. But an expose’ on Israel’s i24 News alleged that it was actually an Al Jazeera employee who masterminded this theatre of horror for Hamas.

Senior Al Jazeera producer and investigative reporter Tamer Almisshal reportedly conceived and directed the vile “ceremony” for Hamas from his office in Qatar—planning every detail of the staging, including the backdrop displaying Hamas slogans glorifying the Oct 7 massacre. Almisshal may have played the same role for subsequent hostage release faux “ceremonies.”

If true, this report raises concerns that Al Jazeera and the Government of Qatar, which funds Al Jazeera, have crossed the line from biased reporting to being a participant in the war against Israel, including by providing material support for Hamas, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. If true, this would be a serious violation of U.S. law.

Almisshal reportedly coordinated the ceremony productions with Ezzedine Al Haddad, a Hamas commander who oversees the Qassam Brigades in northern Gaza.

If the report is accurate, was this a rogue or one-off occurrence? Quite the contrary. Almisshal is also the producer and presenter of an Al Jazeera docuseries called “More Than Meets the Eye” (also known as “What is Hidden is Greater.”) In one recent episode, the show aired exclusive footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar planning operations in Gaza, as well as "testimonies" from Hamas terrorists who took part in the Oct 7 massacre. Almisshal ended the episode by praising Hamas’ “historic blow” against Israel.

The IDF has also released Hamas documents from 2022 that contain instructions to “contact journalist Tamir Almisshal through military communications channels”  and set “conditions” to refrain from criticizing the Islamic Jihad terror group’s rocket attacks when they misfire and kill Palestinian civilians. The IDF documents say Al Jazeera agreed to these instructions. If true, this may prove to be further evidence of Al Jazeera colluding with a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Al Jazeera denies the allegations.

Back in 2013, Almisshal was awarded the symbolic title of "Ambassador of Palestinian Media” by the Hamas-run Government Media Office for “conveying the truth as it is on the ground.” Ihab Al-Ghussein, the Hamas official running the office, described Almisshal as “a model journalist and a source of pride.” It’s then hardly surprising that on October 7, 2023—the day of Hamas’ massacre of some 1200 Israelis and citizens of 45 countries—Almisshal posted on X that "Gaza creates victory and honor for its homeland and nation."

The U.S. Department of Justice affirmed in September 2020 that “The Government of Qatar provides the entire funding for AJMN [Al Jazeera Media Network]” and that “despite assertions of editorial independence and freedom of expression, AJMN and its affiliates are controlled and funded by the Government of Qatar.”

Qatari law prohibits Al Jazeera from criticizing the Emir and other government officials. Notwithstanding the foot stomping it does that it operates “like BBC,” Al Jazeera is not an editorially independent outlet.

If it were reported that the New York Times, NBC News, CNN, or Fox News had colluded with Hamas to stage this theatre of horror, aimed at humiliating the hostages, including American citizens, it’s hard to imagine twenty-four hours going by without commencing an internal investigation.  And if the report was verified, the employee would be fired, the news outlet would disassociate itself from the implicated staff person, his or her boss would be held accountable, and advertisers would drop off like flies. At a minimum, Al Jazeera should be held to the same standard by its peers and the public.

The problem is, Al Jazeera was founded by the Qatari government officials and operates, in effect, as an extension of its own policies using the channel as a tool of its soft power.

Qatar consistently positions itself as a staunch ally of the United States. And yet its flagship state-run media outlet colludes with the very terrorist organization that murdered 40 American citizens on October 7 and which continues to hold captive six other Americans in Gaza.

Members of Congress across the political aisle have repeatedly expressed concern about Al Jazeera and have asked successive administrations to investigate its activities. The Trump Administration should firmly and unequivocally convey to its Qatari interlocutors that to the extent the network may be playing a duplicitous role—acting as both arsonist and firefighter by empowering terror groups while posing as peacemakers—that cannot be without consequences.  It should begin by holding both the Qatari government and its media property Al Jazeera accountable for any material support of a terrorist entity.

Toby Dershowitz is managing director of FDD Action, a non-partisan organization advocating for effective policies to promote U.S. national security and defend free nations. Eitan Fischberger is an independent researcher, analyst, and writer. Follow them on X @tobydersh and @efischberger