“Since the beginning of the current war between Israel and Hamas, Hamas has committed countless atrocities against its people in Gaza,” wrote Hamza Hawidi, a Palestinian from Gaza City, in an article published in Newsweek magazine. “Yet somehow, despite the fact that Hamas has effectively kidnapped the Gaza Strip and all of its residents and routinely terrorizes them, these crimes are never reported by the Arab or Western media, nor by global human rights organizations, all of whom tend to present Hamas as a legitimate opposition group who is trying to “liberate” the Palestinians”. An investigation by the BBC also proves the suffering that Hamas causes to the residents since it was elected in 2006 and since then there have been no more elections in Gaza
The video wrote that “this lack of coverage of Hamas crimes against Palestinians in the media is not due to a lack of evidence. Many Gazans have raised concerns about the brutality of this regime, which they witness firsthand. And not just witnesses; many videos have been published on social media platforms showing Gazans criticizing Hamas and blame Hamas for the current disaster situation in Gaza.”
Vahidi also wrote that “the sad truth is that when Israelis are not involved, no one is interested in supporting the Palestinian rights they claim to care about so much.” Vahidi noted that “the Gazans tried several times to remove Hamas from power.
In 2019 and 2023, the residents of Gaza held silent marches against Hamas. For this crime, we were brutally attacked by Hamas militants. Hamas arrested more than 1,300 protesters in each protest. I was one of them. I personally was imprisoned by Hamas and served twice, because I participated in these protests. So I know firsthand that when ordinary Gazans like me demonstrated against Hamas, there was no media attention. No human rights organization has demanded the release of prisoners held for months in Hamas prisons, let alone those tortured by Hamas, and even killed by Hamas – such as Issam al-Safin, who was tortured to death in Hamas prisons. This trend continued during the current war. Since October 7, hundreds of Gazans have been killed by Hamas’ failed rockets. Hamas confiscated the food, fuel and medicine sent to Gaza, and they didn’t stop here.”
Public criticism of Hamas by the residents of the Gaza Strip is increasing, both on the streets and on social networks and in articles written by Palestinians who fled Gaza.
The British BBC tracked the situation in the Gaza Strip, and spoke with residents in the Gaza Strip, who said: “Curses against the leadership of Hamas and Sinwar are common even in the markets.”
In the documentation of an Gazan doctor with his face covered in blood, he said: “I am a doctor and an academic. I had a good life, but we have a filthy leadership. They have gotten used to our bloodshed, may God curse them! They are scum!”. Just before the end of the video, he addressed the surrounding crowds: “I am one of you, but you are a cowardly people. We could have avoided this attack!”. This video has gone viral, and it’s not the only one.
“Donkey cart drivers started calling the animals after Sinwar,” residents told the BBC. Some of them publicly criticized the terrorist organization, for hiding hostages near a busy market, as happened before “Operation Arnon”, or for firing rockets from civilian areas. Other residents wonder: “What was the purpose of the attacks on October 7? Hamas destroyed us.”
Opposition to Hamas within the Strip existed even before the war, although a significant part of it remained hidden for fear of retaliation by the terrorist organization. The last time elections were held in Gaza, in 2006, some residents chose a party that was not Hamas. A year later, Hamas violently threw the Palestinian Authority forces out of Gaza, in a bitter rift with the rival Fatah movement, and took over the management of the entire strip.
Amin Abed, a political activist who claimed to have been arrested many times for things he said against Hamas before the war, said that nine months after the start of the war – opposition to the terrorist organization became more common. “In Gaza, most people criticize what Hamas does,” he says. “They see children living in tents, and insulting the leaders has become routine. She also has a lot of support from those who are outside of Gaza, who are sitting in air conditioners in their comfortable homes, and who have not lost a child, a home, a future or a leg.”
One of the sources told the BBC that dozens of people were killed by Hamas in a bloody “settling of accounts” with local clans, after the IDF forces withdrew from one of the areas.
The fear of criticism of Hamas leaders may have decreased, but it has not disappeared, and the BBC testified as stated that it is difficult to gauge how many of the residents of the Gaza Strip oppose the terrorist organization.
