GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Hamas-run government has appointed a young woman as the first English-speaking spokesperson designated for the Western media. The move was seen as a bid by the Islamist government to correct one of the stereotypes associated with the way it deals with women and an attempt to present more influential and convincing speech to the world media.

Israa al-Mudallal, 23, now occupies a small room at the government’s media department in Gaza City, next door to Ihab al-Ghussein, the government’s spokesman and head of the department. Dressed in a beige headscarf, Mudallal highlighted the message she wanted to relay to the outside world.

“I want to change the formula of the Palestinian discourse to the international community,” she told Al-Monitor. “I will focus on the humanitarian dimension, like the electricity problem and avoid the disgraceful matters, such as the Palestinian division.”

Mudallal is aware, however, that she will be speaking for an isolated government far away from the Fatah-led one in the West Bank. But she insists it won’t be a problem as long as she speaks on behalf of Palestine rather than any one faction.