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Hamas has done everything it can to maximize harm to the Palestinians in Gaza. Its attack on October 7, when 6,000 Hamas members smashed into Israel and proceeded to rape, torture, mutilate, and murder Israelis, led ineluctably, as the terror group knew it would, to a ferocious counterattack by the IDF that would lead to many civilian casualties and the destruction of much of the infrastructure in Gaza. Hamas has always embedded its fighters, weapons, and rocket launchers in civilian areas and buildings — including schools, hospitals, mosques, and apartment buildings — in order to maximize civilian casualties from every IDF attack. For Hamas, these casualties are a good thing, for they can be used to score propaganda points against the hated Israelis, who are now being accused, preposterously, by every antisemite from Roger Waters to Francesca Albanese, of “genocide.” Given this cynical and cruel use of Gazan civilians, why do so many of the Gazans continue to support Hamas?
Elder of Ziyon discusses this phenomenon here: “How can you explain Palestinians supporting Hamas when Hamas hates Palestinian civilians?,” Elder of Ziyon, October 13, 2024:
Although we knew this, the New York Times reviewed some internal Hamas meeting minutes, and among the discoveries was that Hamas deceived Israel into thinking it wanted calm. It didn’t get involved in the mini-war with Islamic Jihad in 2022, for example.
When the IDF had a minor flare-up with the terrorists of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in 2022, Hamas did not join in to help the PIJ. It had already been planning its attack on Israel for more than a year, and wanted to lull Israel into thinking that it now wanted calm, and had no plans to make war on Israel — which on October 7 was revealed, in horrific fashion, not to be the case.
Interestingly, I [Elder of Ziyon] don’t think the NYT ever mentioned Hamas’ deception plan before. In the article it says “While Hamas leaders have spoken vaguely in public about how they tried to deceive Israel in the years leading to the attack, the minutes reveal the extent of that deception.” The hyperlink points to an Arabic-only interview with Hamas’ Khaled Meshal, saying pretty explicitly that Hamas wanted to give Israel the impression that it wanted calm and to help the people of Gaza receive aid, fuel and electricity.
The New York Times has for the first time reported on Hamas’ deliberate deception of Israel in the two years before the October 7 attack.
What the NYT and other media don’t seem to recognize is that while Hamas was deceiving Israel, it was deceiving Gazans as well.
Just prior to October 7, the standard of living in Gaza was steadily improving, and ordinary Gazans had no idea that that welcome progress would be brought to a sudden halt, and reversed, by Hamas’ attack on that day.
As of October 6, 2023:
* More truckloads of aid were entering Gaza than at any time since before Hamas took over Gaza. Gaza was also exporting near-record numbers of goods to Arab and European countries.
* The GDP per capita in Gaza had, for the first time in a decade, increased two years in a row before October 7 2023.
* The unemployment rate had gone down in 2022 and was probably down in 2023 before October as well.
* In 2023, Israel allowed some 18,000 Gazans to have jobs in Israel for the first time in many years.
In 2023, the economy in Gaza was going well right up to October 6: more aid was entering Gaza in 2023 than in any previous year, and Gaza was exporting a near record number of goods to Arab and European countries in that year; in 2023 the GDP per capita in Gaza had increased for the second year running; the unemployment rate had gone down both in 2022 and in 2023, right up to October 6; furthermore, to help the Gazan economy, Israel had allowed 18,000 Palestinians from the Strip to be given employment in the Jewish state, receiving wages that were from three to four times what they would earn in Gaza itself. Gaza, in short, was doing well — but that would come to an immediate halt when Hamas smashed into Israel on October 7.
We’ve all seen the videos of how Gaza had thriving fancy restaurants, malls, high end shopping and catering halls….
Most Americans, alas, have not seen those videos of upscale restaurants and shopping malls bursting with goods in Gaza, but they occasionally have been caught on camera by foreign journalists who then managed to avoid having their film taken away by Hamas.
Hamas was determined to take Israel by surprise on October 7. The terror group deliberately allowed a lengthy period of calm and economic improvement, including having 18,000 Gazans take up Israel’s offer of well-paid employment. Israelis, being rational, assumed that Hamas had chosen, at least for now, to concentrate on winning popular support by improving the lot of ordinary Gazans. The Israelis did not grasp the depth of Hamas’ fanaticism: it was prepared to endanger the lives, and end the economic wellbeing, of Gazans, in order to harm the Jewish state and kill as many Jews as possible.
By building its terror tunnels so that fighters and weapons could be hidden, and also moved about undetected through the extensive tunnel network, underneath apartments, mosques, and schools, Hamas made life for civilians living above those tunnels even more dangerous, as the IDF would certainly try to destroy that tunnel network.
Palestinians outside Gaza — who haven’t themselves had to endure its despotic and murderous ways — are impressed with Hamas’ ability to inflict real harm on the Jewish state, its managing to kill 1,200 Israelis on October 7, its continuing ability to launch rockets at Israel, if at a much-diminished rate, and the fact that after a year of fighting Hamas is still standing, and its fighters are attempting to regroup in northern Gaza. They don’t grasp how the terror group’s entire strategy depends on maximizing the number of dead and wounded civilians in Gaza, in order to increase pressure from abroad, especially from the United States and the UN, to force the IDF to call a halt — a “ceasefire”— to its campaign in Gaza before its goal of completely dismantling Hamas as a military force has been attained.
Elder of Ziyon claims that antisemitism is such a powerful force that it overwhelms any resentment Gazans might feel toward Hamas for endangering their lives and wellbeing. No matter how clear it becomes that Hamas has a vested interest in more civilian casualties, hatred of the Jews will outweigh any desire among Gazans to punish Hamas for the misery it has caused them. Yes, as bad as the October 7 attack was, Hamas had been planning something much worse — something on the scale, and of the same type, as the 9/11/2001 attack by Al Qaeda on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It had planned to blow up the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.
Those who support Hamas do so not because they care deeply about the Palestinians in Gaza, but because they are antisemites. Someone who was truly “pro-Palestinian” would want to remove the Hamas despots who have their foot on the neck of Gazan civilians. It is Hamas that has imprisoned or, more often, murdered its political opponents, as it did to hundreds of Fatah members in 2007. And just three leaders of Hamas — the late Ismail Haniyeh, Moussa abu Marzouk, and Khaled Meshaal — stole a total of $11 billion from the aid money that was meant for all the people of Gaza. It was those leaders, sitting in their luxurious hotel suites in Doha, far from the fighting in Gaza, who were content to see the number of Gazan deaths rise and rise, grist for the mill of the Hamas propagandists.
Hamas has no current interest in making life better for the Palestinians in Gaza. In attacking Israelis on October 7, Hamas destroyed the economic wellbeing of Gazans that had been steadily improving by every measure — in GDP, employment, and donor aid. Many thousands of civilians have died, despite Israel’s elaborate system of warning them away from areas about to be targeted, because Hamas chooses to hide its fighters and weapons among them. To be pro-Hamas at this point is to wish both for the genocide of the Jews and for the continued immiseration of the Gazan civilians.
john blackman says
it never ceases to amaze me that anyone cares for terrorists and their willing participants . even if israel destroys hamas and hezbollah arab hatred of israel will remain and thats because the koran tells them to . considering they arent allowed to question what the mad man supposedly said in a book he couldnt write . the west has a hatred for the jews and that has been consistent since the diaspora but it doesnt match the visceral hatred that arabs have demonstrated on oct. 7 . if people read the bible it would be apparent , but very few are interested in what it says and are more than happy to dismiss it at their peril even those that attend a church .
jboo7 says
If anyone killed all women and children around you – would you not hate them?
These people have suffered the great arrogance of one other tribe that sees them as “just not our level” – or shall we say “Untermenschen”?
Think of it: If you call yourself “God’s People” you think you are free to do anything –
really anything – without any laws or limits. Obviously, Netanyahu thinks so.
We can talk of self-defense. But if someone kills one person of my lot, I cannot kill 40 in revenge! Or 40,000 for 1,000! – THAT IS NOT WAR – IT IS GENOCIDE!
DEFENSE MUST BE USED IN RATIO OF NECESSITY!
IF MY ADVERSARY IS WOUNDED ON THE GROUND – I MUSTN’T KICK HIM!
BUT IN THIS “WAR” ALL DECENCY HAS BEEN SOLD OUT FOR NAKED HATE
AND THE ARROGANCE: “NO ONE WILL CRITICIZE ME – IT’S YAHWE’S WILL!”
But that is a grotesque LIE – and much worse BLASPHEMY!
THX 1138 says
Why Do the Palestinians Support Hamas, That Cares Nothing For Their Welfare?
It’s not simply antisemitism.
If you really and seriously believe that there’s a much superior, magical utopia, after-life waiting for you in Paradise after you’re dead and buried, after you die for God, why would you care about this life at all?
The more seriously a Muslim believes in Paradise the more they will discount this life as essentially unimportant and dispensable.
Intrepid says
The article is not about you or how you desperately cling to your silly beliefs about your “oh so” important life. It’s not about Christians or Jews either.
It’s about Hamas. And you know what a serious Muslim actually believes? Just like you purportedly know what a “serious” Christian and Jew are supposed to believe.
I doubt you know what a serious Objectivist is supposed to believe. We only know what you think you know, which ain’t much.
Voice of Reason says
Well said!
Members of Hamas are consistent practitioners of an evil ideology: a religion in which the individual is derogated while the Collective (State and Religion) are exalted.
Among the citizens of Gaza there are likely to be a silent few who grasp the importance of individual rights. But a large majority believes in the same evil ideology,. Most Gazans who are trying to live their lives are inconsistent practitioners of the death-worshipping ideology, because they know that it is not compatible with life.
Consistent practitioners of an ideology are honored as “true believers” by those who believe in the ideology, even though they don’t practice it to the same extent. It is the same reason why “democratic” socialists admire socialists who admire communists.
Eli says
Excellent article succinctly written. Posting from northern Israel where my family and I have bees rousted out of bed at all hours to run to our bomb shelter in our house numerous times. Your readers might be interested to learn n that every Israeli home built in the last 25+ years must have a room to withstand an attack. Steel plates over the windows and an almost industrial door that locks from the inside to keep out our enemies.
Most housing construction sites in Israel relied on Arab laborers, but after October 7th, it’ll be a generation before any of them find work in Israel. That is another factor in how much Hamas hate their own people.
skam says
“The Israelis did not grasp the depth of Hamas’ fanaticism:”
Simply unfathomable if true,
Alix Brit says
Many of the people who were initially murdered by Hamas were peacenicks – many of them had employed Gazans. It is ironic and tragic. I am disgusted by the people who defend Hamas’ actions on October 7th – we are talking mass rape, murder, mutilation – yet they have their supporters on college campuses, governments, the Democrat party and the DSA. People have lost their morals. Never underestimate ethe hate of the enemy.
Çâşëğ says
Why Hamas or any Muslim country don’t care for the wellbeing of their populations? Just look at Iran, Persians are suffering as much as Gazans. And the reason for it is Islam. Islam is an ideology just like Communism or any other ism. Its goal is world domination for the benefit of its ruling class.
Al Cibiades says
“Destroy your enemy, only then ponder their motives.” – Son of a TzJew
Gabrielle says
Take away the sham religion of Islam, and you have psychopaths who meticulously create the most horrific forms of torture, care ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for anyone else and are interested in creating a totalitarian world under their command.
Gazan Arabs treat their children as human shields having started their indoctrination as toddlers; they also beat, rape and torture them.
The futility is in thinking that a psychopath can be changed and that countries acculturated to accept them as representatives of their “religion”. will do anything other than follow them.
The sooner Israel and the western countries understand this the faster these miscreant evil doers can be eliminated and removed from their countries and returned to their 7th century tribal affiliations.
Alkflaeda says
Islam is demonic. Mohammed, as sham as he was in many ways, did have a real encounter, but it was with a spirit who revels in depravity. See https://www.raymondibrahim.com/2022/06/20/zakaria-botros-87-and-still-boldly-challenging-islam/ for details of another of Mohammed’s encounters.
Roark says
Please watch this revelatory interview by an author who spoke with thousands of Moslems. The information he gleaned is incisive and will give you a unique perspective into the Islamic death-cult.
The entire religion is based on a faulty and erroneous belief:
Daniel R says
Ignorant people need ignorant arguments in order to advance their points.
By their same logic, anyone could invent a new “religion” claiming that mohammed (without a capital “M”) and islam (without a capital “I”) perverted God’s dictates and wandered away from His ways, so this new religion is the true one. And so on ad-infinitum.
Following htis fallacy, a guy in Congo could claim that Sudan was originally a part of Congo, but then the Sudanese strayed away, so Sudan belongs to Congo. And so on.
Rewriting history has been a common human exercise throughout the ages. The issue is whether you believe in the original history or the re-written one, Islam is a badly rewritten history by a mumbling, deranged, schizophrenic ignoramous. Believing his story is a very dangerous endeavor, as we have witnessed time and again watching the savagery of its followers.
sumsrent says
So 50% of the Jews in this world do not support the nation of Israel, existing… <<< Interesting…
I would think the percentage is higher…
To be a Jew… they are looking for the coming Messiah… who has never came yet…
And then… this Messiah will establish Israel. Their opinion is… not until the Messiah comes will Israel come in to existence…
For Christians… we will be looking for the 2nd coming… after the Tribulation… on the Day of the Lord… Israel today is the Dead Bones coming to life. Israel's existence today will be the focus point of the End Times… the Abomination of Desolation…
Tim Kuehl says
“Why Do the Palestinians Support Hamas, That Cares Nothing For Their Welfare?”
The same question could be asked of homosexuals who support Hamas who would kill them for being homosexual as would every other Islamic terrorist.
Alkflaeda says
All I can say about “Queers for Palestine” is that either they have a death wish, or they hate Israel even more than they care about their own kind.
jboo7 says
Hamas was, as Hezbollah, Israel’s own creation – through its wars against Lebanon.
AND THROUGH THE MASS MURDER IT COMMITTED THERE IN REFUGEE CAMPS.
THESE TWO MOVEMENTS ROSE FROM THE BRUTALITY EXPERIENCED AS RESISTANCE!
And, unfortunately, Israel’s “Better People” arrogance which cannot accept others as equal has never even tried seriously to create an EQUAL SOCIETY.
A JEWISH STATE WILL ALWAYS BE A STATE OF “ONLY THE MASTERS”.
And Jews, if anyone, should know what the consequence of such ideologies is!
In the best case, it can end in ‘Apartheid’ -in the lesser case, in the Warsaw Ghetto and worse
IT CAN BE AVOIDED – ABRAHAM SHOWED IT: HE LIVED IN BETH EL AMONG OTHERS.
And even in the first historic mention of ‘Ish’rul’ on the stele of Pharaoh Merenptah, 1200BC,
“that lived near Q’adesh among several others’. WHY WAS THAT POSSIBLE THEN?
Algorithmic Analyst says
Hamas has the advantage of being able to use terrorism against the population of Gaza, against anyone who steps out of line.