That response completely misunderstands how censorship works under authoritarian regimes, especially in Gaza, where Hamas maintains tight, low-tech control over journalists and information flow.
No one is claiming Hamas uses “advanced IP tracking” or spy satellites. That’s a strawman.
All local journalists in Gaza are known to Hamas. They are required to register with the government press office to operate legally. This isn’t some shadowy surveillance network, it’s a paper list, and anyone who steps out of line risks losing their credentials, facing intimidation, or worse.
There is well documented and undisputed evidence showing Hamas use violence, imprisonment, threats, torture and even murder against journalists who will not comply. The same applies to all journalists, even if working for foreign media.
Visiting foreign journalists are escorted, monitored, and often rely on local fixers who are themselves under Hamas pressure. The moment a fixer is threatened or jailed, the foreign journalist loses access - or learns to self-censor. That's a best-case, as foreign journalists have openly reported their lives being threatened if they tell the truth.
For example journalists in gaza were threatened not to report on the anti hamas protests that tool place recently. Similarly foreign journalists who witnessed Hamas firing missiles from civilian sites like hospitals during the last intifada were threatened, one so seriously he took time to conceal his identity.
There are documented cases of journalists being beaten or detained for covering anti-Hamas protests or interviewing the “wrong” people. Several Gaza-based reporters have spoken out after fleeing, describing harassment, threats, and constant fear of retaliation. See the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, this isn’t speculation.
Even raw footage “on patchy internet” doesn’t make it out cleanly. If Hamas sees it circulating and links it to someone locally, that person may be punished. And people know it. That’s how censorship works: not by constant arrests, but by creating a climate of fear where people censor themselves.
So yes - Hamas doesn’t need advanced tech to control the press. It just needs fear, proximity, and total authority. And in Gaza, it has all three.