Named after the eponymous mosque in Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa TV is the official television channel of the Hamas government, the de facto government in Gaza. Launched in 2006, the broadcaster airs news content, children’s shows and religious programs.
Media assets
Television: Al-Aqsa TV
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Hamas’ leadership discretionarily appoints Al-Aqsa TV’s governing structures. The station is headed by a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, the unicameral parliament of the Palestinian Authority.
Source of funding and budget
The broadcaster is fully funded by Hamas, the militant Islamic group that runs Gaza. There is no official information about the size of the budget allocated to Al-Aqsa. According to seven local journalists and experts interviewed for this report between December 2023 and April 2024, the station has an annual budget of US$ 5m, mostly from donors.
Editorial independence
The news and current affairs programs on Al-Aqsa openly promote Hamas. The station’s programs are known to disseminate aggressive anti-semitic messages, according to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report (see Source of funding and budget above).
No domestic statute and no body or mechanism to independently validate Al-Aqsa television station’s editorial independence have been identified.
July 2024