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Performing Resistance: The Al-Qassam Brigades, Audiovisual Discourse, and Ontological Security after October 7

Pintilie, Raul Ciprian LU (2026) SIMZ41 20261
Master of Science in Middle Eastern Studies
Abstract
This thesis examines the audiovisual productions featuring anashid released by Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, between October 7, 2023, and October 10, 2025, in an attempt to understand whether and how they function as mechanisms of ontological security. The existing literature on Hamas largely overlooks its cultural materials when addressing issues related to the governance of the Gaza Strip, mostly focusing on material service provision, while these outputs are treated as propaganda or instruments of psychological war. Although these are valid findings, the present study reveals that they perform functions beyond mobilization or discouraging the enemy. Through a multimodal critical discourse analysis that evaluates the... (More)
This thesis examines the audiovisual productions featuring anashid released by Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, between October 7, 2023, and October 10, 2025, in an attempt to understand whether and how they function as mechanisms of ontological security. The existing literature on Hamas largely overlooks its cultural materials when addressing issues related to the governance of the Gaza Strip, mostly focusing on material service provision, while these outputs are treated as propaganda or instruments of psychological war. Although these are valid findings, the present study reveals that they perform functions beyond mobilization or discouraging the enemy. Through a multimodal critical discourse analysis that evaluates the semiotic resources in lyrics, music, and visuals, this thesis shows that the narrative advanced in the Al-Qassam Brigades’ productions constructs biographical continuity, manages existential anxieties, and positions the organization as a mediator between life and death. The findings demonstrate that the organization builds upon a symbolic repertoire that sustains identity and a sense of belonging in times of severe crisis and that ontological security provision is a constitutive dimension of Hamas’s governance of the Gaza Strip, increasingly doing so through its military wing after the October 7 attack. (Less)
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author
Pintilie, Raul Ciprian LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ41 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Hamas, Palestine, Gaza, Audiovisual, Music
language
English
id
9241140
date added to LUP
2026-06-25 10:54:06
date last changed
2026-06-25 10:54:06
@misc{9241140,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines the audiovisual productions featuring anashid released by Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, between October 7, 2023, and October 10, 2025, in an attempt to understand whether and how they function as mechanisms of ontological security. The existing literature on Hamas largely overlooks its cultural materials when addressing issues related to the governance of the Gaza Strip, mostly focusing on material service provision, while these outputs are treated as propaganda or instruments of psychological war. Although these are valid findings, the present study reveals that they perform functions beyond mobilization or discouraging the enemy. Through a multimodal critical discourse analysis that evaluates the semiotic resources in lyrics, music, and visuals, this thesis shows that the narrative advanced in the Al-Qassam Brigades’ productions constructs biographical continuity, manages existential anxieties, and positions the organization as a mediator between life and death. The findings demonstrate that the organization builds upon a symbolic repertoire that sustains identity and a sense of belonging in times of severe crisis and that ontological security provision is a constitutive dimension of Hamas’s governance of the Gaza Strip, increasingly doing so through its military wing after the October 7 attack.}},
  author       = {{Pintilie, Raul Ciprian}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Performing Resistance: The Al-Qassam Brigades, Audiovisual Discourse, and Ontological Security after October 7}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}