On Telegram, Hamas Publishes Contact Information For Six Officials Authorized To 'Speak On Behalf Of Hamas In English,' Including A Specially Designated Global Terrorist

On October 17, 2023, the media office of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas published an Arabic-language statement on the Telegram account of the official website of Hamas, which listed six officials who are authorized to speak on the group's behalf in English.[1] Since the statement’s release, at least one of the "spokesmen" has conducted an English-language interview with American broadcaster NPR. Another, Osama Hamdan, is a U.S.-Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

The second and third telephone numbers are from the Palestinian Jawwal cellular network. The first number is Qatari, the fourth Lebanese, the fifth Iranian, and the sixth Malaysian.

Hamas' media office also published an English-language statement on Telegram. Addressed "dear journalists and interview producers," it listed the same contact information for the six officials who are authorized to conduct English-language interviews on behalf of the group.[2]

This report will review Hamas' English-language spokesmen.

Lebanon-Based Senior Hamas Leader And Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) Osama Hamdan

Osama Hamdan is a senior Hamas leader based in Lebanon, who was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in August 2003.[3]

In several interviews since Hamas' attack on Israel, Hamdan has disputed that the group is holding American "hostages," instead arguing that they are "prisoners of war." He also noted that Hamas is "prepared to repeat this ruse and this attack in the West Bank," threatening further violence.[4]

Additionally, in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV on October 11, Hamadan reaffirmed that Hamas opposes the existence of the state of Israel, saying that Hamas would "help the Israelis go back to where they came from."[5]

Hamas' Council On International Relations Head Basem Naim

Born in 1963, Basem Naim serves as the head of Hamas' Council on International Relations in Gaza. In an interview with Sky News on October 9, 2023, Naim notably denied that Hamas killed any civilians during its attack on Israel. "We did not kill any civilians," he said, noting that Israeli "settlers" should not be considered civilians.[6]

Hamas Political Bureau Operative Muhammad Nazzal

Muhammad Nazzal is a longstanding Hamas operative who serves in the group's political bureau. Born in Amman, Jordan, he was appointed as its representative in Jordan in 1992.[7] Most recently, Nazal told Al-Jazeera in an interview that Hamas' attack on Israel was planned several years in advance. "Hamas avoided participating in the last rounds of combat in order to preserve its ammunition and capabilities for this operation," he said.[8]

Nazal has also previously expressed support for Al-Qaeda conducting attacks against Israel. In a July 2006 interview with Al-Arabiya, he said: "We support any effort against the Zionist enemy. One of the disagreements we have with several Islamic groups was that we believe that the resistance should be directed primarily against this Zionist aggression and occupation. We should concentrate our efforts in Palestine, and in the resistance against the Zionist aggression in Palestine and Lebanon, because this will result in great achievements for the nation. All Arabs and Muslims agree on this issue [...] If Al-Qaeda or any Palestinian, Arab, or Islamic faction wants to come to Palestine to fight the Israelis, we welcome this."[9]

Former Chairman Of Gaza Border Crossings Authority Ghazi Hamad

Ghazi Hamad is a longstanding Hamas operative who previously served as the chairman of the border crossings authority in the Gaza Strip. In an October 17, 2023, interview with NPR, Hamad repeatedly denied that Hamas targeted civilians in its attack against Israel and reaffirmed Hamas' longstanding position that "Israel has no right to exist in this region." He also accused the U.S. of giving "Israel a green light to go to Gaza, kill people, destroy homes, destroy Hamas." "But Hamas will stay here," he said, "Hamas will continue to fight against the occupation."[10]

In the past, Hamad has voiced support for negotiating with Israel. In an August 2018 interview with Al-Jazeera, Hamad said that "there is no religious evidence prohibiting negotiations with the occupation." "Personally, I do not oppose this option, but it must first be placed within a national framework," he noted.[11]

Hamas Representative To Iran Khaled Al-Qaddoumi

Khaled Al-Qaddoumi is Hamas' representative to Iran. He frequently engages with Iranian and international media. For example, in an interview with Iran's Press TV on October 8, 2023, Al-Qaddoumi praised Hamas' attack on Israel, saying: "Palestinians launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm to tell the international community that al-Aqsa and al-Quds [Jerusalem] mean Palestine and this operation has started for the liberation of Palestine; all Palestine from the river to the sea."

Al-Qaddoumi also noted: "Our only option and our fate is to fight the Israeli regime. Today, we have started the battle of liberation of Palestine, all Palestine, and no body is able to stop it."[12]

Malaysia-Based Hamas Operative Muslim Imran

Muslim Imran is a Malaysia-based Hamas operative, who works as a non-resident scholar at the Universiti Malaya, a public university in Kuala Lumpur. The university has a Palestinian studies center – the Hasim Sani Center for Palestine Studies – with which Imran is affiliated.[13] Imran is also a member of the board of advisors for the Asia Media East Center for Research & Dialogue, a Malaysia-based non-profit think-tank that, according to the "about us" section on its website, "focuses on the study of the Middle East and Asia, and promotes intellectual and cultural exchanges between the people and societies of the two regions."[14]

Imran maintains an account on X, @muslimbinimran, with 3,510 followers,[15] as well as a Facebook account.[16] He also has a profile on academia.edu, which lists him as the author of a 103-page book published by the Beirut-base Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consulations, titled "Egypt, Syria, and the War on Gaza: A Study on the Egyptian and Syrian Foreign Policy Responses to the 2008/2009 Gaza War."[17]