Althouse: "More than six months into the war in Gaza and with dimming hopes for a cease-fire deal, Palestinians there are growing more critical of Hamas..."

April 27, 2024

"More than six months into the war in Gaza and with dimming hopes for a cease-fire deal, Palestinians there are growing more critical of Hamas..."

"... which some of them blame for the months-long conflict that has destroyed the territory — and their lives.... In interviews with more than a dozen residents of Gaza, people said they resent Hamas for the attacks in Israel and — war-weary and desperate to fulfill their basic needs — just want to see peace as soon as possible. If Hamas wanted to start a war, 'they should have secured people first — secured a place of refuge for them, not thrown them into suffering that no one can bear,' said Salma El-Qadomi, 33, a freelance journalist.... 'Hamas... don’t be upset with us and try to understand us correctly,' Rami Haroon, a 45-year-old dentist and father of five, wrote on Facebook on April 20. 'We have been suffocated by you for a long time.... Your ship will sink and you will drown us with you.'... According to [Mkhaimar Abusada, associate professor of political science], people 'care about Palestine and resistance and freedom and independence. But first of all, they want to live as humans, to be able to eat and sleep. That’s why the criticism is much more vocal now and much more public now.... Israel really sent us to the Stone Age.'"

From "In war-battered Gaza, residents grow angry with Hamas" (WaPo).

70 comments:

Joe Smith said...: That's the plan.

Israel prolongs the war to get people on the ground to turn against their leaders.

The evil Jooooos strike again!; 4/27/24, 11:29 AM
gilbar said...: i Don't Understand..
rcocean TOLD us that we could Easily get rid of ALL problems, just by getting rid of ALL Jews..
Jupiter TOLD us that there Never Even WERE Any Jews.. They were ALL just a myth..

NOW Gaza folk are saying that waging war against Israel MIGHT NOT be the best idea in the World?
SO Confusing!; 4/27/24, 11:33 AM
Readering said...: It took more than 6 months?; 4/27/24, 11:40 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Blame Hamas?

on no - don't do that. Gotta blame everyone but hamas. Right, international left?; 4/27/24, 11:41 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Oh my golly - lol.; 4/27/24, 11:42 AM
Dave Begley said...: Why did it take them this long? That stupid?; 4/27/24, 11:47 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Well, that is what happens when you make an alliance with Hamas in the first place. It isn't like Hamas' goals and plans were some kind of deep hidden secret.

It is hard to have any sympathy whatsoever.; 4/27/24, 11:57 AM
Rick67 said...: There is a strange mixture of rational thinking and shooting-the-ship-that-could-have-rescued-them in these statements from Palestinian Arabs in Gaza.

If we ignore for a moment the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan they have consistently rejected the offers of a state of their own. They have consistently chosen conflict and violence over peace. They have consistently embraced a narrative that is at odds with informed history. It is not Israel sending them to the stone age.; 4/27/24, 11:57 AM
Anthony said...: "Some of you may die. . . . .but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make".; 4/27/24, 11:59 AM
Original Mike said...: "If Hamas wanted to start a war, 'they should have secured people first — secured a place of refuge for them, not thrown them into suffering that no one can bear,' said Salma El-Qadomi, 33, a freelance journalist."

Your suffering is an integral part of their strategy. The only part, actually. How can you be so dim as to not understand that?

Journalists :rolleyes; 4/27/24, 12:01 PM
Sebastian said...: "If Hamas wanted to start a war, 'they should have secured people first — secured a place of refuge for them"

LOL, sort of. The lament comes a little late. Hamas MO is to sacrifice civilians for the cause. They couldn't have been clearer.

"people 'care about Palestine and resistance and freedom and independence. But first of all, they want to live as humans, to be able to eat and sleep"

OK. But then you need to squash Hamas and compromise on Palestine etc. You can't have a nice life under Hamas and fighting Israel. So choose.; 4/27/24, 12:05 PM
Mason G said...: "More than six months into the war in Gaza and with dimming hopes for a cease-fire deal, Palestinians there are growing more critical of Hamas..."

Perhaps if you had been a little more critical of Hamas *before* they started a war...; 4/27/24, 12:07 PM
Aggie said...: They should re-name "Stockholm Syndrome". The biggest problem with the study of this condition has always been the paucity of subjects to evaluate. Little did they know: There's an entire self-sustaining cohort right in front of their noses.; 4/27/24, 12:07 PM
Rabel said...: "In interviews with more than a dozen residents of Gaza..."

Come on, man.

"Mahfouz and Balousha reported from Cairo, and Harb from London. Sarah Dadouch in Beirut contributed to this report."

They're nudging again. With the slimmest (more than 12!) bit of data they attempt to build sympathy for the Gazans.; 4/27/24, 12:23 PM
Wince said...: Once you realize (1) Hamas is Iran's tool, (2) Iran really doesn't give a shit about Arab Palestinians, and (3) Biden empowered Iran to gain the influence to all put this in motion, it starts to makes sense that this is where the Gaza "street" is arriving.

Question is will US protesters recognize this true flaw in Biden policy in time for the Democrat Convention DNC in Chicago, or are they so far removed from the suffering they decry such that they just continue to follow the neo-Marxist, Iranian pro-Hamas propaganda narrative?

Then again, does it really matter why Biden is attacked from his left as long as he loses?; 4/27/24, 12:24 PM
MadTownGuy said...: ...Palestinians there are growing critical of Hamas...

Golly, ya think? But are they critical enough to say "Enough?"; 4/27/24, 12:25 PM
PM said...: First, Hamas.
Second, the Ivy students.; 4/27/24, 12:32 PM
Rosalyn C. said...: Yes Hamas uses psychological warfare and the necessary sacrifice of civilians for PR campaign against Israel. Too bad it’s taken this much destruction for Gazans to change their minds about Hamas.; 4/27/24, 12:41 PM
Charlie Currie said...: Not only did Hamas not make arrangements to safeguard their citizens, they actually thought their tunnels and bunkers would safeguard themselves.

And, way is it that the US, and the rest of the West, don't put as much pressure on Hamas to surrender, and end the conflict, as they do on Israel to just stop? Is it because they all fund Hamas?; 4/27/24, 12:44 PM
Rabel said...: And I can see from the early comments here that the nudging worked, as even some of the enlightened, intelligent and Mother-loving readers here at Althouse accepted the assertion that these 13 interviewees represent the views of the Gazans as a whole.

Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but there's no reason to make that determination based on this particular propaganda piece.; 4/27/24, 12:48 PM
Michael K said...: So much for the "occupied Gazans" Now tell us what you will do about it. Another reason there are no Arab Nobel Prize winners.; 4/27/24, 12:48 PM
sean said...: These kind of articles are worthless. In any group of millions, you can find ten people to say anything you can think of, and then write an article about the sweeping power of the new mood, new political beliefs, new fashion accessory, new religion, new whatever.; 4/27/24, 12:57 PM
Doug Sherlock said...: This is a welcome development. It would be ideal for people in Gaza to turn on Hamas in very concrete ways so the residents can move on from them.; 4/27/24, 1:12 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The various rainbow flavors of decadent western decline.

Allowed to dance, chant and propagandize in front of your children... at the local library.; 4/27/24, 1:15 PM
Rusty said...: Readering said...
"It took more than 6 months?"
Some people are just stupid. You know? Like people who voted for Biden.; 4/27/24, 1:22 PM
Howard said...: This is just one report Gaia only knows it's actually true. Most sane people hope that the Palestinian people turn against Hamas. Fingers crossed; 4/27/24, 1:25 PM
Mary Beth said...: If Hamas wanted to start a war, 'they should have secured people first — secured a place of refuge for them, not thrown them into suffering that no one can bear,'

I'm with Original Mike on this. In the eyes of Hamas, the people of Gaza are pawns to be sacrificed.

The Guardian has an article about how support for Hamas is growing among Palestinians in Lebanon. Not support in a "go to Gaza and fight" way, just support others taking the brunt of the fight.; 4/27/24, 1:27 PM
Shahid Q. Public said...: “But first of all, they want to live as humans….”

If only they could have agreed that Jews in Israel deserve the very same.; 4/27/24, 1:30 PM
Marcus Bressler said...: WWWIII, saw that this morning.
James Wood is a national treasure.; 4/27/24, 1:37 PM
effinayright said...: Michael K said...
So much for the "occupied Gazans" Now tell us what you will do about it. Another reason there are no Arab Nobel Prize winners.
**********
Really?

ChatGPT turned these up:

Literature: Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian writer, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.

Peace: Multiple individuals and organizations from Arab countries have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, including Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin for their efforts towards peace in the Middle East in 1994.

Chemistry: Ahmed Zewail, an Egyptian-American scientist, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 for his work on femtochemistry.

Physics: Abdus Salam, a Pakistani theoretical physicist, was of Arab descent and shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 for his contributions to electroweak unification.
****

To be clear, I regard most of the Arab and Muslim world has being hopelessly backward. They make no cars, trucks, planes or computers, and I can't think of any inventions they've given the world, certainly not since the beginning of the Industrial revolution.

And I will set aside that Peace Prize, which has become captive to "progressives"

(Famously, George Bernard Shaw said he could forgive Alfred Nobel for inventing dynamite, but NEVER the "fiend in human form who came up with the Nobel Peace Prize.")

But let's give credit where it's due.; 4/27/24, 1:38 PM
Money Manger said...: Cease Fire ? Easy:

1. Cough up Yahya Sinwar
2. Release hostages

It’s not a difficult ask.; 4/27/24, 2:02 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: war battered? Israel destroyed 1/2 of Gaza through bombing. Love how the USA MSM always acts like the Genocide in Gaza is just some impersonal act of God, like a Hurricane.

See, those 33,000 dead women and children weren't kiled by Israel, they "died in the fighting". Incredible.

Well at least we get a story about Gaza, even though its about Hamas. Better than story 1234 about the poor Privilaged American/Israeli Jews at elite Universities who are "Scared" or bravely walking around with "Jew" tatooed on their forehead. It reminds me of the brave Americans communists in the 1930s who "Fought Hitler" from Beverly Hills and the Upper East side.; 4/27/24, 2:37 PM
Drago said...: Readering: "It took more than 6 months?"

You know how you lefties keep accusing Israel of genocide and basically everything else evil?

Well, the Israeli's havent done anything like that at all and their caution slowed them down timewise AND caused them additional casualties.

I hope this simple explanation helps. I tried to dumb it down to your level but I cannot guarantee it was sufficient. Please let me know if there is more I can do for you.; 4/27/24, 2:38 PM
The Vault Dweller said...: I suspect why so many of these protestors on campuses can have such a positive few of Hamas is because they aren't directly dealing with the consequences of Hamas' actions. Regardless of how one feels about Israel's response it is impossible to intellectually honestly deny that it is a direct response to Hamas' attack on October 7th. I suspect there is a path to a cease-fire that all Hamas would have to do is safely release all the remaining hostages. I'm sure Israelis want justice against Hamas as well, but the longer the war goes on the more likely they are to just accept the safe return of their people.; 4/27/24, 2:53 PM
mikee said...: Rope, lamp post, Hamas member. Some assembly required. Get to it, Gazans.; 4/27/24, 3:08 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne aka Doug Emhoff's Pimp Hand said...: Dave Begley said...

Why did it take them this long? That stupid?

Yes, that stupid. But just to be clear; I'm talking about the morons at the WaPo finally admitting it, not the Gazans. I'm sure they knew what was coming. They've seen it before.; 4/27/24, 3:12 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Sounds like bullshit to me. They’re just bitching about the government. As if it was Katrina or some inexplicable disaster that the government should have been prepared for.
Like a Prog eco-lawyer with a 3-car garage, Palestinians are perfectly capable of ignoring the dissonance between what they say they want and what they really want.; 4/27/24, 3:13 PM
deepelemblues said...: See, those 33,000 dead women and children weren't kiled by Israel, they "died in the fighting". Incredible.

It seems rather incredible that, according to you, not a single male in Gaza has died in the war.; 4/27/24, 3:15 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: A rare moment of lucidity from Joe Scarbucko?
The guess makes impressive points.

Nothing will be learned from the rabid Jew haters.; 4/27/24, 3:17 PM
William said...: You would have thought that the Iraqis would have been glad to be rid of Saddam and the Afghans happy to be rid of the Taliban. That's not the way things worked out, however. I don't see any kind of happy ending in Gaza. Those people who are critical of the Hamas leadership will probably get killed and a group even more thuggish than their predecessors will eventually take the place of their fallen leaders......The only plus side to Gaza is that various other people in the region are thinking twice about how hard they want to go in pursuit of their hatred of Israel. Jordan, the West Bank, Lebanon, Egypt are not primed for battle and even Iran is a tad less than fervent.... Here's a Pollyanna thought for the day: Countries at peace tend to want to stay at peace, and countries at war tend to keep warring. Maybe the mess can be localized to Gaza and all the fallen will sprout gossamer wings and fly to heaven.; 4/27/24, 3:17 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The world is allowed to punch back twice as hard.

Israel is not.

F the Obama left.; 4/27/24, 3:18 PM
mccullough said...: Those Hamas dudes who are still alive should kill themselves so the war can end. Enough civilians have been killed.

If Hamas persists, more civilians while get killed and those from Hamas who are still alive at the end will swing from the rope like Tojo.; 4/27/24, 3:18 PM
Rafe said...: An earlier RCOCEAN II:

“War battered? The Allies destroyed 1/2 of Germany through bombing. Love how the USA MSM always acts like the Genocide in Germany was just some impersonal act of God, like a Hurricane.

See, those 76,000 dead children weren't kiled by the Allies, they "died in the fighting". Incredible.

Well at least we get a story about Germany, even though it’s about the Nazis…”

Fuck you, RCOCEAN II.

- Rafe; 4/27/24, 3:28 PM
Original Mike said...: The odds of more than a handful of hostages still being alive is remote.; 4/27/24, 3:29 PM
Drago said...: Howitzer Howard: "Most sane people hope that the Palestinian people turn against Hamas. Fingers crossed"

Did you really mean to write that given the full blown alliance between Team Dem and the islamic supremacists, which includes Hamas?

Or are you atrempting to paint your Team Dem-ness as something a little less than insane?; 4/27/24, 3:38 PM
Iman said...: From "In war-battered Gaza, residents grow angry with Hamas" (WaPo).

They’d better leave it at an angry, anonymous letter. HamAss isn’t known for their concern or their compassion for “their people”.; 4/27/24, 3:47 PM
Iman said...: RC*COLLINS II @2:37PM…

Elections have consequences.; 4/27/24, 3:50 PM
JK Brown said...: A youtuber/security consultant Ryan McBeth has suggested that Israel needs to build up a 'Sons of Gaza' group like the US did with the 'Sons of Iraq'. People opposed to Hamas and the Islamists who can work toward building a native force to fill the vacuum once Israel has taken out Hamas. Perhaps there are seeds to be cultivated after all.; 4/27/24, 4:10 PM
tim maguire said...: tl;dr version: “next time we commit a genocide against the Jews, we need to get better leadership first.”

If there are innocent civilians in Gaza, the media hasn’t found them yet.; 4/27/24, 4:27 PM
Former Illinois resident said...: Our neighbor is the grandmother of the Hamas hostage in this week’s Hamas video. He had his arm shot off, has been imprisoned underground for 200+ days, and is a US citizen. That Biden administration hasn’t secured release of its citizens held captive by Hamas is a travesty.; 4/27/24, 4:49 PM
Howard said...: So if all of this is true then was Trump wrong earlier this month when he was criticizing the Israeli prosecution of the war in Gaza?; 4/27/24, 4:58 PM
tcrosse said...: Think of those poor Germans who were all in for Hitler until the bombs started falling on them.; 4/27/24, 5:04 PM
Josephbleau said...: "Elections have consequences."

"those from Hamas who are still alive at the end will swing from the rope like Tojo."

I can't resist thinking that Tojo would have said that Erections have consequences.; 4/27/24, 5:16 PM
Mikey NTH said...: Charlie Currie: They put pressure on Israrl and not on the Palestinians because Israel used to respond to the pressure and the Palestinians wouldn't. Now the Israelis have decided not to respond to the pressure and the Palestinians are left with the realization that they are locked into a fight with Israel that only they can stop and only by giving up.

To paraphrase the "Heil Donitz" skit "Here is Netanyahu's phone number and here's how to say 'We surrender' in Hebrew."; 4/27/24, 5:17 PM
Craig Mc said...: Beginning to sound like Germans in April 1945. They'll probably execute him as an Israeli spy. It's how they roll.; 4/27/24, 5:25 PM
The Godfather said...: Gaza residents are "angry" at Hamas? Well, then why did they vote for Hamas in the last election in -- well, 2007. Gee, maybe Hamas didn't establish a democratic government in Gaza after all.

And what KIND of Muslims live/lived in Gaza? Sunni Muslims. And who dominates Iran, the government of the biggest supporter of Hamas? The Shiites. And Shiites HATE Sunnis. So the Iranians would LOVE the Jews and Christians to rid them of these troublesome Sunnis.; 4/27/24, 5:26 PM
The Godfather said...: Gaza residents are "angry" at Hamas? Well, then why did they vote for Hamas in the last election in -- well, 2007. Gee, maybe Hamas didn't establish a democratic government in Gaza after all.

And what KIND of Muslims live/lived in Gaza? Sunni Muslims. And who dominates Iran, the government of the biggest supporter of Hamas? The Shiites. And Shiites HATE Sunnis. So the Iranians would LOVE the Jews and Christians to rid them of these troublesome Sunnis.; 4/27/24, 5:27 PM
Paul said...: Make GAZA part of Israel and ship all the GAZA people to the West Bank. Let Hamas go to war with the PLO for control of the West Bank.

GAZA then becomes new Israeli settlements!!!

Simple, no?

And f*ck the protestors!!; 4/27/24, 5:32 PM
Abdul Abulbul Amir said...: 'bout time.; 4/27/24, 5:35 PM
Craig Mc said...: "GAZA then becomes new Israeli settlements!!!"

There's a reason Prussia doesn't exist any more.; 4/27/24, 6:01 PM
Michael said...: This is how siege warfare is won. And not by giving aid to the populace.; 4/27/24, 6:12 PM
MikeD said...: Innocent civilians in Gaza (and anywhere else Palestinians congregate) is an oxymoron.; 4/27/24, 6:21 PM
cubanbob said...: RCOCEAN loves hamas and the Palestinians.Overlooks than those very same fine people he supports danced when they heard about 9/11. But he claims he is a true-blue American. The Palestinians are the bastards of the Arab world. None of them will accept them in and let them become citizens. The Saudi's and Kuwait's kicked them out in 1991. The other Gulf countries will hire millions of Indians, Europeans, South Africans, Filipinos and other Asians but not Palestinians. The goal of the Palestinians that are not Israel's is to destroy the State of Israel and at the minimum expel every Jew and if they could, kill them all. Israel has two million Arab citizens, very few are actively against Israel if for no other reason they know perfectly well two things: 1-No Arab state wants them. 2-A Palestinian State will be an economic basket case and a gangster state. The Germans and the Japanese had to lose millions dead, near total destruction and an occupation to get it in their heads to learn FaFo. Gaza needs to be utterly destroyed so that lesson sinks deeply into their skulls. The only thing evident is that the Palestinians are cowards who his behind women and children and absolutely don't value the lives of their people. I don't see the need for Israel or the rest of the West to value Palestinian lives more than they value their own. Hamas can end this immediately by surrendering and releasing the hostages but they won't which tells you everything one needs to know about the Palestinian movement and their supporters.; 4/27/24, 6:33 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: RCOCEAN II said...
"Israel destroyed 1/2 of Gaza through bombing."

Reminds me of the scene in the first Reacher series with Alan Ritchson:

"I just watched you gouge a man's eyes out!"

"Well, he started it."; 4/27/24, 6:38 PM
Drago said...: Howitzer Howard: "So if all of this is true then was Trump wrong earlier this month when he was criticizing the Israeli prosecution of the war in Gaza?"

LOL

What a pathetic, but quite revealing, question!

Gee Howard, why dont YOU identify the specific "criticisms" and tell us why the "criticisms" are either correct or incorrect and why?

Too funny.; 4/27/24, 7:09 PM
Josephbleau said...: The second level question is, why does Hamas want the western public to think that Gazans are starting to oppose Hammas.; 4/27/24, 7:38 PM
Readering said...: Some folks here challenged when it comes to reading comprehension. Read the top of the post again.; 4/27/24, 8:59 PM
NMObjectivist said...: Maybe the people living in Gaza can rise up and overthrow their governemnt and then surrender to Israel. That would make things better there.; 4/27/24, 9:13 PM
Moondawggie said...: So let me get this straight: the people of Gaza elected Hamas to govern them in 2006. Haven't voted them out since.

Until Oct 2023 a semi-truce existed between Israel and Hamas. Then the Hamas government decided to mount a surprise attack murdering over 1000 innocent Israeli (and some US, etc.) civilians, while capturing and kidnapping hundreds of others still held as hostages.

Note that it was the husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers of the Gaza women and children who directly committed these atrocities, with substantial approval and support from the local population. So there is enough guilt to go around for everyone in Gaza to get their fair share of accountability.

In short: Hamas initiated a war with a surprise attack on Israel (similar to Germany attacking Poland and the USSR.) What could go wrong?

Well, now the Gazans are upset because their territory is being destroyed and civilians are caught in the retaliatory crossfire.

You know, as WW2 progressed, no civilians needed to die in the Dresden firebombing or the destruction of Berlin; the Nazis were losing at that point and could have surrendered, but chose not to. So the German civilian casualty lists kept growing exponentially in 1945 because their leaders decided to fight on.

There is a big problem with elections: electorates are always held accountable for the actions of their chosen leaders. You elect and support idiots, you end up paying a terrible price.

Here's what the poor Gaza electorate can do to make this horror go away: force Hamas to surrender. If not, then the best the Gazans can hope for is to hunker down while a mid-20th Century-style resolution of this tragedy takes place around them.

Karma is one mean bitch. FAFO.; 4/27/24, 10:44 PM
Rusty said...: What you say, " Boy! That final was a bitch."
What Howard hears," Did you just call me a bitch?!"; 4/28/24, 7:57 AM