Named after the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa TV serves as the official television broadcaster of Hamas, the de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip. Since its launch in 2006, the channel has operated as a mouthpiece for the movement’s political and religious messaging. Its programming spans a mix of news, children’s shows, religious sermons, and ideological commentary—often framed through a militant and highly partisan lens.
Media assets
Television: Al-Aqsa TV
Radio: Al-Aqsa Voice Radio
Publishing: The Message
State Media Matrix Typology
Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Al-Aqsa TV is wholly controlled by Hamas, which hand-picks its senior management and governs its editorial direction with tight reins. The station is reportedly headed by a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, a body that nominally belongs to the Palestinian Authority but has been largely inactive since the 2007 political schism between Hamas and Fatah. There are no public records of board appointments, statutes, or governance procedures, underscoring the broadcaster’s opaque internal structure.
Fathi Ahmad Hammad is the chairman of Al‑Ribat Communications and Artistic Productions. He is a senior Hamas official, a member of the Hamas political bureau, and formerly served as the Interior Minister in the Gaza Strip between 2009 and 2014. He has been a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council since 2006, representing Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. Hammad is known for his hardline positions and is regarded as one of the more radical figures within Hamas.
Source of funding and budget
The broadcaster operates on an estimated annual budget of approximately US$5 million, as reported by seven local media professionals and experts interviewed between December 2023 and April 2024. While there is no official or audited financial disclosure, sources suggest that most of Al-Aqsa TV’s funding originates from foreign donors sympathetic to Hamas’ ideological aims. The precise identities and channels of these contributions remain undisclosed.
In late 2023 and early 2024, Al-Aqsa TV’s broadcast infrastructure was repeatedly targeted in Israeli airstrikes during the escalation in Gaza. Despite temporary interruptions, the station resumed operations via satellite and digital platforms.
Editorial independence
Al-Aqsa TV exhibits no hallmarks of editorial autonomy. Its news programming overtly promotes the Hamas agenda and frequently disseminates content that local observers and human rights monitors describe as incendiary, ideologically charged, and in some cases anti-Semitic. The station has repeatedly come under international criticism for glorifying violence and broadcasting hate speech, particularly in the wake of regional escalations.
There is no statutory framework to regulate the broadcaster’s content or mandate editorial standards. Nor does any independent oversight mechanism exist to assess or enforce journalistic integrity. In essence, Al-Aqsa TV functions as a propaganda tool, explicitly aligned with Hamas’ political, religious, and military objectives.
July 2025