Hamas: Benefactor or Saboteur to Gazan Citizens?

by Sally Zahav


Apparently, some of the people in Gaza are aware that their government (Hamas) has been using them. The most egregious use of the citizens is as human shields, which has been openly admitted by some Hamas officials, and backed up by the recently discovered document detailing Hamas' military plans to gather non-combatant citizens near their military equipment as well as near the homes of Hamas officials that are being pursued by the IDF.

And after the damage is done, Hamas displays the killed and the wounded for the media and screams about Israeli war crimes.

How's that for cynicism.

But this is not the only way that Hamas abuses the citizens of Gaza. Much of the funds and resources that donor countries have poured into Gaza have gone not into building infrastructure for a better life for its citizens - but it has gone into building up Hamas' military resources - missiles, tunnels, underground command and control centers, logistical support for its fighters.

They plan provocations, knowing that Israel will retaliate - must retaliate - as any sovereign country must, and when the IAF missiles come crashing into the buildings of Gaza, buildings that have been designated as military - NOT civilian targets - the Gazan people have nowhere to run.

If Hamas builds up its military to the extent that it has, expecting Israeli retaliation, why does it not provide shelter for its citizens in time of war, as Israel does? Why? For the simple reason, as insane as it sounds to Western ears, to expose its citizens to danger and then reap the inevitable advantage that will result. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

But Hamas understands very, very well that its most powerful weapon against the Jewish state is the political fallout that always occurs, gleefully encouraged by the media, whenever Israel becomes involved in a military conflict with one or more of its neighbors. When innocents are maimed and killed, it makes for wonderful (from Hamas' point of view) PR. They know that they can count on most of the world media to condemn Israel, without waiting to investigate or validate the facts involved in any particular case. And this is in spite the well-known fact that reporters in Gaza, even foreign reporters, do not feel free to report factually. 

Then they can use the PR capital that they have amassed in order to exert pressure on Israel to accede to their demands, backed up by the biased press and world leaders, whose judgement is compromised by various factors, both social and economic.

Israel is not perfect, and neither is its military. The IDF makes every effort to minimize collateral damage, but mistakes sometimes do happen. And when they do, the IDF can be relied upon to report them truthfully.

But how much of this is known to the average Gazan on the street? Are they aware that Hamas is using them so cynically? Here is a video clip that I find encouraging. Perhaps things will change when enough of the people of Gaza understand that it is actually Hamas who is their enemy and that Israel desires to live in peace with them.





May the Almighty grant peace to his children, the children of Abraham.


Sally Zahav

Source: Middle East and Terrorism Blog

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.