Hamid Khoshayand – Regional Affairs Expert

Hamas’ powerful media coverage and the broadcast of its images and films during the seven rounds of the ceremony for the handover of Zionist prisoners have had such a “power” to influence public opinion in the region and the world, especially in the occupied territories, that it has caused concern in the political, military and security circles of the Israeli regime.

In this regard, the Fizz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades have launched a wide-ranging psychological war against the Israeli regime by releasing various films, such that in an “exclusive” example that received widespread coverage and greatly “humiliated” the regime, one of the Zionist prisoners kissed the heads of two Hamas fighters in gratitude before being handed over to representatives of the Red Cross.

So far, seven rounds of prisoner exchanges have taken place between Hamas and the criminal regime, each of which has “astonished” and “taken by surprise” public opinion and political and media circles in a completely different and specific way. In fact, Hamas, using scenes that seem simple, uses “narrative” in a completely effective, principled, and professional way.

Among the important actions of Hamas in these programs is the donation of “special gifts” to Zionist prisoners, each of which has a specific meaning and message, including the following:

Giving an hourglass to a prisoner, which was written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, “Time is running out.” Giving a gift of gold to one of the prisoners who had a child during captivity to present to his daughter is a sign of philanthropy and human and moral feelings and emotions, in a situation where the bodies of Palestinian prisoners released from the prisons of the Zionist regime show evidence and signs of severe torture and all kinds of physical and mental abuse. Using symbols such as the banner “Return of war = return of Israeli prisoners in coffins” on the bodies of killed prisoners directly targeted the morale of the soldiers and residents of the occupied territories.

Donating various and meaningful packages, including gifts such as key chains, photos, accessories, and the Palestinian flag, which are symbols of resistance and stability. Also, displaying advanced weapons captured during the war, which is a kind of show of power and demonstrates Hamas’s intelligence and operational capabilities.

In all prisoner transfer programs, Hamas has been able to communicate with the Zionist audience inside the occupied territories in different ways and convey its message directly and without intermediaries.

All of this is in a situation where the Zionist regime, since the beginning of the Gaza war and for 16 months, using the media at its disposal, especially the powerful American and European media networks, has always sought to “impress” this issue on its public opinion, the Palestinians, and the residents of Gaza, that Hamas forces are violent and abusive, and that the Palestinian and Gaza resistance has been weakened and defeated in this war, and has lost its initiative in the face of the capabilities of the Zionist regime.

The fact that in seven rounds of exchanges, the Zionist prisoners thanked Hamas for the humane treatment they received during their captivity is the only “line of invalidity” for all the Zionist regime’s claims. This has so alarmed the Zionist authorities that the regime’s leaders have issued an order “forbidding communication” with the released prisoners.

In addition, Hamas’s specific media coverage of the prisoner exchange has been so widely echoed within the occupied territories and has met with such diverse reactions that Netanyahu, in order to prevent further “damage” to his own image and reputation and that of the Zionist regime, has temporarily suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners, criticizing what he calls the psychological operations of the Palestinian side. The order to suspend the release of Palestinian prisoners is not a countermeasure but is essentially a result of confusion in the face of Hamas’s soft war in the prisoner exchange, which is being carried out in an entirely systematic, coherent, and powerful manner.

In short, even under siege conditions, where it has minimal access to media and communication technologies and networks, Hamas is making excellent use of the power of the media and its unique capabilities in a way that has never been seen before in the Arab world, to defeat the Zionist regime’s propaganda and soft war structures and organizations, to “show its power” and to “humiliate” the regime. The value of Hamas’ media and soft war efforts in the current situation is, if not greater than Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and its resistance in the 16-month war with the regime, then it certainly is no less.