Throughout the ongoing war, Hamas has developed and refined its online media strategy to communicate its narratives to various audiences in Palestine, the Middle East, and internationally. This strategy has evolved with the changing political environment, shifting from traditional media to an active online presence on social media.

In this talk, Wesam Amer will analyze Hamas's self-representation, the effectiveness of its strategies, its target audiences and affiliations, and how these narratives are recontextualized by audiences.

Using methods from critical discourse studies, online ethnography, and social network analysis, Dr. Amer's work shows that Hamas's media strategy is characterized by an insular, self-referential model focused on ideological alignment. A significant development in Hamas's communication strategy is the use of cell phones and GoPro cameras by Hamas militants to capture and share content. Over time, Hamas's discourse in the current war has consistently emphasized victimization over victory – the old traditional Hamas discourse – highlighting alleged Israeli war crimes and portraying Palestinians and their allies as resilient to Israeli aggression, thereby enhancing Hamas's political influence.