Hamas took the unprecedented step on March 13 to address the Western public opinion in English on social media websites by using the hashtag #AskHamas. The campaign lasted for five days.

Hamas media adviser Taher al-Nunu told Al-Monitor, “The campaign was launched as the deadline to appeal the EU court ruling taking Hamas off its terror list approached [March 18]. The campaign targeted the Western public, with the objective of delivering messages expressing Hamas’ ideas, to the effect that Hamas is not a terrorist group but a national liberation movement, and that the Israeli occupation is the real terrorist.”

He added, “The media campaign has focused on social media [namely Twitter], in a question and answer format, to convey the truth to the largest segment in the Western street, which showed solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

Hamas was keen to include in the campaign various political, military and female leaders, most notably Ismail Haniyeh, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau; Rouhi Mushtaha, a former prisoner and member of Hamas’ political bureau; and member of parliament Huda Naim.