Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday revealed that five media platforms were designated as terrorist organisations.
Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet revealed that the move comes after prolonged intelligence effort.
Which are the media platforms desginated as terror organisations?
Quds Plus, Maydan Al Quds, Al-Quds al-Bawsala, Al-Maaraj and Al-Asima were the media platforms designated as terrorist organisations by Israel.
Why were these media platforms designated as terrorist organisations?
According to Shin Bet, these media outlets operated under the guise of legitimate journalism and served as incitement arms of Hamas.
Shin Bet said these platforms are run by Hamas operatives and operated as per directives from Hamas leadership in Gaza, Turkey and other countries. They disseminated controversial content on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and Telegram.
These media platforms allegedly encouraged Arab Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank to resort to nationalist attacks under the guise of protests.
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The terror designation makes the activities of the media platforms illegal, as per Israeli law. Shin Bet said it will "act decisively" to thwart activities that threaten public security.
The long-term Hamas media strategy
Earlier, media outlets such as Al-Resala, Shehab, Safa and a newspaper named 'Palestine' were found to be funded and run by Hamas though they claimed to be independent.
A study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre revealed how Hamaz planned and operated its media network as part of its strategy against Israel, even before the October 2023 attack.
The key objectives of Hamas's long-term media strategy include spreading the Palestinian narrative globally while also intensifying psychological and media warfare against adversaries. The tools of psychological warfare included creation of cartoons and satire pages, paid advertisements targeting Israeli audience, publishing opinion pieces targeting the "enemy", digital storytelling highlightin Israeli "failures" and others to sow demoralisation and weaken Israeli society, reports Ynet News.
Hamas also planned to reject any form of normalisation while promoting boycotts and portraying individuals and entities allied with Israel negatively.