By Kirollos Abdalla –
Emboldened by the fact that Hamas is being decimated by the Israeli military, hundreds (perhaps thousands) of Gazans took to the streets last week to manifest their opposition to the ruling Palestinian terrorist group that invaded Israel Oct. 7, 2023.
“Hamas are terrorists! Out! Out!” they chanted in videos released to the media via Telegram.
Observers hoped the recent protests – which started in 2006 and repeated in 2019 but were stamped down by Hamas – would represent a turning point to end the incessant hatred and violence that scourges the region.
But those hopes were subdued this week when Hamas executed protest organizer Oday Nasser Al Rabay, 22, along with five others to show that the extremists won’t tolerate free speech, peaceful protest or dissent as they strive to institute the utopia of Islamism.
This sort of retaliation tends to squash opposition voices, as it did in 2006 and 2019. The fact that anyone comes out to show their opposition to Hamas is extraordinary. The risk of being killed by Hamas is greater than the risk of being killed by the IDF, some say.
Oday’s family denounced Hamas at his funeral. “They dragged him and tortured him to death with all kinds of hard tools,” a relative says in the video, accusing “a sinful, rogue group affiliated with the Qassam Brigades” of carrying out the killing. “They killed him treacherously.”
The family demanded that those responsible face justice, calling for them to be dealt with “an iron fist” and vowing not to accept condolences until revenge is taken. “These unjust criminals who unjustly killed this Muslim must be held accountable,” the statement says. “O Allah, take revenge.”
Per usual, the mainstream media largely ignored the anti-Hamas protests. “The media only shows the pro-Hamas side,” says Mayhar of TousiTV, a conservative news outlet in the UK.
Initially, Al Jazeera news reported that these anti-Hamas protests were in fact anti-Israel protests. But since people understand Arabic, Al Jazeera had to walk back the report, Mayhar says.
The anti-Hamas protesters are the very ones who help the IDF locate and target Hamas leaders. They are also the ones who help the IDF find and rescue hostages.
“We want to live with minimum demands, this is our basic human right, people have no money to buy any food to live,” said one man speaking to a crowd of Gazan protesters about their suffering. “People ask each other 24 hours a day in an empty place, where are we going? We want to live.”
Not ironically, assassinated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wanted more Palestinian deaths, not less, because they generate anti-Israeli sentiment both in Gaza and in the West.
The deaths of Palestinian civilians, Sinwar reportedly wrote, “infuse life into the veins of this nation, prompting it to rise to its glory and honor.” Civilian deaths are “necessary sacrifices” in the war against Israel, according to a message obtained by the Wall Street Journal.
Hamas won a Palestinian election in 2006. Since assuming control of Gaza, they have not held elections and rule like a dictatorship (caliphate style) through repression and brain-washing.
Last week, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz encouraged the anti-Hamas protests and all peace-loving Palestinians to embrace a future free of terrorism.
“Dear residents of Gaza, the IDF will soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza, and you will be asked to evacuate from combat zones for your own safety,” Katz said. “Demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages, this is the only way to stop the war.”
