"Until October 7, there was a perception among some Israelis including politicians, that the majority of Palestinians in Gaza are different from Hamas, which controls them through fear and oppression, and share a universal human longing for a good life. This led to the assumption that by improving their situation it would be possible to ensure security stability and even bend the ideological fervor of Hamas.
The horrors of October 7 shattered these perceptions. Not only did the Gazan public not protest against Hamas following the attack, but thousands took an active part - publicly and without fear: in the massacres, kidnappings, rape and looting, including the theft of bodies as a sort of "appreciating asset", and of course participated in the victory celebrations that included abuse of the kidnapped and the bodies."
"Israelis notice amid the war, the lack of public criticism against Yahya Sinwar for inflicting on the Palestinians carnage and destruction that exceeds that of the Nakba of 1948. In the past, such silence could have been attributed to the fear of Hamas, but the cumulative crystalizes the understanding that the broad Gazan public sympathizes with the terror organization."
*The opinions expressed in MDC publications are the authors’ alone.
Read the full article in English - Ynet News, 18.1.2024.
Read the full article in Hebrew - Ynet, 18.1.2024.