Palestinian territories media guide

Given the political situation in which they live, Palestinians are avid media consumers. Online outlets are the main sources for news consumption, followed by TV and radio.

Political instability and security threats mean journalists work in a high-risk environment. They continue to be subjected to restrictions by the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas and Israel.

The media landscape is shaped by the conflict with Israel and the rivalry between the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

International watchdogs say the media environment is not free."In the West Bank, journalists are the victims of press freedom violations by both the PA and the Israeli occupation forces. In the Gaza Strip, they are threatened by both Israeli military offensives and Hamas policies," says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).The main TV and radio stations are run by the PA's Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and Hamas's Al-Aqsa Media Network.There are dozens of private broadcasters. Pan-Arab satellite TVs, especially Qatar's Al-Jazeera, are popular. The growth of online media has eroded the traditional dominance of outlets run by the PA and Hamas.Facebook is the most popular social media platform. Accounts and channels affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group are regularly blocked by social platforms. 

There were 3.9 million internet users by July 2022, comprising 75% of the population (Worldinternetstats.com)

• Media guides by BBC Monitoring

Press/Online

• Al-Quds - private, Jerusalem-based, largest-circulation Palestinian daily

• Al-Ayyam - private, Ramallah-based daily

• Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah - Palestinian National Authority daily

• Donia al-Watan - popular news website

• Filastin - Hamas-affiliated daily

Radio

• Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) - controlled by Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, operates Voice of Palestine

• Al Aqsa radio - Hamas-run station in Gaza

Television

• Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) - controlled by Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, operates Palestine TV and Palestine Satellite Channel

• Al-Aqsa TV - Hamas-run station in Gaza, terrestrial and via satellite

• Private stations include Al-Quds Educational TV, Al-Mahd TV, Al-Majd TV, Al-Nawras TV, Watan TV

News agencies

• Palestine News Agency - Wafa - official, in Arabic, English, French and Hebrew

• Ma'an News Agency - private, operates with Dutch, Danish funding