by Dana Ben Shimon
Hamas offered to give Mustafa's son 1,500 shekels if he agreed to work for them, either in the police force or by engaging in Hamas's activities.
 |
While Israel and the US continue to insist on the need for Hamas to disarm, the terror group is reasserting control in parts of the Gaza Strip by recruiting new members to its military wing and civilian institutions.
A Palestinian father, referred to as Mustafa for security reasons, said that Hamas has been offering cash to teenagers to tempt them to join the group. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, he described how Hamas tried to recruit his 16-year-old son in central Gaza.
"One day, three men came up to my son. They were not in Hamas uniforms, just regular clothes, and gave him 200 shekels," Mustafa said. "They told him, 'Take this, buy yourself something.'"
The Palestinian teenager was confused and asked them why they gave him the money. "We help people," they replied.
They also offered to give him another 1,500 shekels if he agreed to work for them, either in the police force or by engaging in Hamas's activities.
Mustafa, a Fatah supporter, is currently living near Ramallah. He was part of the PA security forces in Gaza until 2007, when Hamas toppled the PA and seized control of the strip. After the Hamas coup, he and hundreds of security personnel fled to the West Bank, leaving their families behind.
"Hamas is taking advantage of poverty and families who lack food and other basic necessities," the father explained.
"Hamas told my son they would train him and his 18-year-old brother on weapons, and would give them anything they wanted."
It didn't end there. Later, Hamas members came to the family's house in Gaza and offered Mustafa's wife flour and food supplies. "My wife told them, 'We don't need anything, my husband sends us money.'"
When the boy's uncle heard the story, he went to the home of one of the Hamas operatives and warned him not to approach the family again. They had an argument, but since then, no one from Hamas has tried to reach out to the brothers again.
"Hamas is brainwashing people, especially teenagers in Gaza," said Mustafa, adding that the terror group attracts them with economic incentives at first, but later blackmails the teenagers, making it almost impossible for them to walk away once involved.
Hamas promises security, threatens those who try to leave
"Hamas finds ways to lure them," he noted. "They promise them things like a tent to live in, and if someone tries to leave or no longer wants to be involved, they start threatening him, 'give back everything we gave you- the money, the food supplies.'"Mustafa explained that most young men cannot pay it back, so they have no choice but to stay with Hamas, even if they don’t want to. "Hamas keeps telling them, 'Jews took our land, you will be heroes if you fight them.'"
"Hamas doesn’t really care about the lives of these teenagers. I explained to my children that there is a political struggle between us and the Jews, but the resistance should be peaceful. Why would I send my son to his death? I raised my children to live, to get married, and to build their future - not to die," he said.
He described another method Hamas uses to recruit Palestinian residents. The group arrests teenagers on charges of drug possession or theft, then blackmails them and forces them to work for the organization.
"Another relative in our family, a 17-year-old, was arrested by Hamas," Mustafa said. "They told him, 'either you work for us, or we shoot your legs.'"
The young man agreed to join the group after his release. "In his case, it was true he stole something. He is more of a street boy. So Hamas also targets vulnerable boys who can be easily influenced, not only the poor ones," Mustafa added.
According to a 27-year-old Gazan from the Shuja'iya neighborhood in eastern Gaza city, now displaced with his family in Deir-al Balah, Hamas usually recruits individuals referred to as 'Mosque children' - youth whose background is known to the group, not outsiders. He also said that many join Hamas willingly, not by force.
"They do it because they love Hamas and hate Israel, and because they want to take part in Jihad," he told the Post. "They see what Israel has done in Gaza - the killings, the destruction, and also what is happening in the West Bank. That’s why they join the resistance, especially if a family member was killed or their home was destroyed." He added that, like many other Palestinians, he too wants to leave Gaza and is waiting for the Rafah crossing to open so he can look for work elsewhere.
However, Mustafa noted that Hamas's attempts were not limited to mosques. "Many mosques have been destroyed during the war, so Hamas is looking for new recruits on the streets."
Palestinian sources pointed out that Hamas remains particularly strong in central Gaza, where it maintains a tight grip on the population. They said that the group operates there more freely than in other areas of the coastal enclave and continues to use civilian infrastructure to reorganize and rebuild.
"If Israel doesn’t want to see another October 7, it has to destroy Hamas in central Gaza. If it remains powerful in this area, it will be difficult for any other group to replace it and take control," Mustafa said.
Dana Ben Shimon
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-882013
No comments:
Post a Comment