Beirut, February 19 (RHC)--  A senior official of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has hailed media’s role in defeating Israel’s narrative of the Gaza war, stressing that media coverage is part of the fight against the occupying regime.

Osama Hamdan, who is Hamas’ representative in Lebanon and also a member of the group’s politburo, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 24th edition of the Iran Media Expo in the capital Tehran on Sunday.

Hamdan went on to say that media coverage is no less important than the war on the battlefield, which is the reason why the Israeli regime is targeting journalists and media activists as their actions are important on the battlefield.

Highlighting the importance of media activities during the war, the Hamas official noted that over 120 media people have been killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in early October.

Media, undoubtedly, has played a key role in the Gaza war, he said, stressing that it plays a “decisive role” in the current situation in the besieged enclave.   “Today, the media plays the main role in shaping the culture and spirit of sacrifice and resistance in societies”, Hamdan said, adding that the power of the media has created a great responsibility and must be honest regarding the Muslim Ummah.

“The mission of the media that was achieved during this period and during the battle of Al-Aqsa Storm was the great and lasting achievements in the history of resistance and Palestine against the Zionist regime, and of course this is only a part of the role of the media,” he said.

The Hamas official further stated that after 140 days since the beginning of the war, the situation of the resistance is better than what friends imagine.  Our nation is standing firm, he said adding that resistance is a major player in shaping the future.

Over the course of the Israeli onslaught, dozens of Gaza journalists have also been reported missing, detained, or injured. Israeli forces have also targeted their media offices and homes.