Gazan lawyer warns Hamas will drag Gaza 'back into the abyss' in Washington Post op-ed - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

As a long-time member of Gaza's "underground civil society movement," Natour explained that he has spent years preparing for the moment the "cycle of war with Israel" could be broken.

 

Hamas member stands guard as people gather to watch Red Cross vehicles transporting hostages, following their handover as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in the central Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025.

(photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Hamas regaining a foothold in Gaza will be catastrophic to both Palestinians and Israelis, Moumen al-Natour, a lawyer and activist from Gaza, wrote in an opinion piece published by the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Gaza has been split in two by US President Donald Trump's peace deal, according to Natour. On one side of the yellow line is "a Gaza that is desperate for Trump’s plan to succeed," he wrote, while on the other is a Gaza "pulled back into the abyss" by Hamas rule.

Few in Natour's Gaza, where the success of the ceasefire is desired, praise Hamas, he continued.

There, he described, the "war is over and change buzzes in the air" as children return to school and people have access to food, medicine, and electricity. In Gaza, he adds, numerous local leaders are preparing to collaborate with the anticipated international force to stabilize and "make Gaza a success story."

As a long-time member of Gaza's "underground civil society movement," Natour explained that he has spent years preparing for the moment the "cycle of war with Israel" could be broken, and Gaza could free itself from Hamas.

Palestinians seen near destroyed buildings amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, October 19, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)

"It was worth the scars and the terror to see that there can be a different future here," he said.

The 'other side of the yellow line'

On the other side of the yellow line, violence and "terrifying bloodletting" are prevalent under Hamas rule, Natour continued. With no IDF soldiers to fight, hostages to torment, or "leaders capable of giving them a new identity," Hamas has turned its rage on the Palestinians living under its thumb.

The cruelty Hamas doled out to the Israeli hostages was "honed for many years on Palestinian bodies without any of the international outrage," he emphasized, describing a journalist friend of his whose limbs were shattered by the terror organization during the war.

"If we refuse to stand up to Hamas when it kills Palestinians and blatantly breaches the terms of the peace agreement today," he wrote, "then we are showing Hamas that the world will stand by as it reclaims the rest of Gaza."

Hamas regaining control of Gaza would be an international tragedy, one that would reverse all the progress made with the Gaza deal, he concluded. Hamas must be forced to abide by the terms of the ceasefire, disarm, and leave  Gaza to "people who have been denied a voice for a generation, rather than leaving a vacuum for it to exploit." 

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-871251

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter