הלוחמה הפסיכולוגית של החמאס

The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, was based on a ground invasion of thousands of armed terrorists into Israeli communities and army camps, but it was also the beginning of a well-planned traumatizing psychological invasion that has lasted for many months since that terrible day of mass slaughter. Hamas, one of the most experienced terrorist organizations in the arena of propaganda and psychological warfare, sought to combine physical warfare with a psychological campaign that would harm the morale of the Israelis, their cohesion, desire to fight and sacrifice,confidence in the political and military leadership, and mental resilience. Continuing our previous series of studies on the media-oriented conduct of Hamas, we focused on Hamas’ psychological campaign during the war, from platforms and messages to target audiences and effectiveness. The article reveals how Hamas preplanned its psychological operations, from the cameras used to videotape the massacre and uploading to online social media, to the use of hostages and their ceremonial, mass-mediated release. The article examines some of the countermeasures that can be used to fend off psychological attacks and Israel’s attempts to minimize Hamas’ success in traumatizing the Israeli home front.