Intercepted Call Between Two Hamas Operatives

Read what Gazan's themselves had to say about Hamas after the 2014 war.

•"If Hamas does not like you for any reason all they have to do now is say you are a Mossad agent and kill you." — A., a Fatah member in Gaza.

•"Hamas wanted us butchered so it could win the media war against Israel showing our dead children on TV and then get money from Qatar." — T., former Hamas Ministry officer.

•"They would fire rockets and then run away quickly, leaving us to face Israeli bombs for what they did." — D., Gazan journalist.

•"Hamas imposed a curfew: anyone walking out in the street was shot. That way people had to stay in their homes, even if they were about to get bombed. Hamas held the whole Gazan population as a human shield." — K., graduate student

•"The Israeli army allows supplies to come in and Hamas steals them. It seems even the Israelis care for us more than Hamas." — E., first-aid volunteer.

•"We are under Hamas occupation, and if you ask most of us, we would rather be under Israeli occupation… We miss the days when we were able to work inside Israel and make good money. We miss the security and calm Israel provided when it was here." — S., graduate of an American university, former Hamas sympathizer.

While the world's media was blaming Israel for the death of Gazan civilians during Operation Protective Edge, this correspondent decided to speak with Gazan’s themselves to hear what they had to say.

They spoke of Hamas atrocities and war crimes implicating Hamas in the civilian deaths of its own people.

Although Gazans, fearful of Hamas's revenge against them, were afraid to speak to the media, friends in the West Bank offered introductions to relatives in Gaza. One, a renowned Gazan academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that as soon as someone talked to a Western journalist, he was immediately questioned by Hamas and accused of "communicating with the Mossad". "Hamas makes sure that the average Gazan will not talk to Western journalists -- or actually any journalists at all," he said, continuing:

"Hamas does not want the truth about Gaza to come out. Hamas terrorizes and kills us just like Daesh [ISIS] terrorized and killed the Iraqi’s. Hamas is a dictatorship that kills us. The Gazans you see praising Hamas on TV are either Hamas members or too afraid to speak against Hamas. Few foreign [Western] journalists were probably able to report what Gazan’s think of Hamas."

When asked what Gazans did think of Hamas, he said: "The same as Iraqis thought of Saddam before he was toppled. He still won by 90-something percent in the presidential elections. If Hamas falls today in Gaza, people here will do what Iraqis did to Saddam's statue after he fell. But even though Western journalists may not have been able to speak freely with Gazan’s, they still need a story to send to their editor by the end of the day. So it is just easier and safer for them to stick to Hamas’s official narrative."

"What was that," I asked: "'Blame Israel'?"

"I don't know about that," he said. "More like, 'Never blame Hamas!' Hamas was making a 'statement': Opposing Hamas Means Death. Hamas is a dictatorship that kills us."

M., a journalist, confirmed his view. "I do not believe any of the people Hamas killed in the last weeks were Israeli spies," he said. "Hamas has killed many people for criticizing them, and claiming they were traitors and working for Israel."

D, a store owner, said: "There were two major protests against Hamas during the third week of the 2014 war. When Hamas fighters opened fire at the protesters in the Bait Hanoun area and the Shijaiya, five were killed instantly. I saw that with my own two eyes. Many were injured. A doctor at Shifa hospital told me that 35 were killed at both protests. He went and saw their bodies at the morgue."

To verify those reports, a second Gazan academic, who holds a PhD. from a Western university, said: "Hamas did kill protesters, no doubt about that. But we could not confirm how many were actually killed, but if I have to guess, the number was definitely higher than was reported. I am confident that not all of the 21 men Hamas killed were collaborating with Israel. Hamas killed those men because they were weakened by Israel's attacks and they felt endangered. So they went on a 'Salem Witch-Hunt’, so to speak.' They arrested everyone who opposed them and made a examples of them to scare people from standing against them. Hamas's terror tactic worked. Now Gazans are afraid to talk against Hamas even in front of their own family members. Gazan’s are probably afraid to criticize Hamas even in their sleep!"

As already reported by the award-winning journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh, Hamas killed one of its leaders, Ayman Taha, and then they blamed Israel for it.

Asked about Abu Toameh's report, S., a Gazan political activist said: "Taha was already in Hamas's jail before Israeli operations even started. Hamas imprisoned him and tortured him because he was critical of its radical policies. He had warned Hamas not to cooperate with Qatar and Iran. Eye-witnesses said they saw Hamas militants bring him alive into the yard of Shifa hospital in Gaza and shoot him dead. They kept mutilating his body in front of everyone, including little children and left his body lying in the hospital's yard for hours before allowing the staff to take it to the morgue."

A., a Fatah member in Gaza, spoke over Skype -- fearful that Hamas was intercepting phone lines: "Even before the Israeli operation began, Hamas rounded up 400 of our members and other political-opposition figures. I would not be surprised if Hamas kills them all and then claims they were killed in an Israeli bombing. Hamas already beheaded a man known for opposing its views on the 22nd day of the 2014 war, then lied on their Facebook page that he was caught sending intelligence information to Israel. If Hamas does not like you for ‘any’ reason, all they have to do is claim you are a Mossad agent and then murder you."

S. a medical worker, said: "The Israeli army sends warnings to Gazans to evacuate buildings before an incoming attack. The Israelis either call, or they send a text message. Sometimes they call several times to make sure everyone has been evacuated. Hamas's strict policy, though, is not to allow us to evacuate. Many people are killed, trapped inside their homes by Hamas militants. Hamas's official Al-Quds TV regularly issued warnings to Gazan’s not to evacuate their homes. Hamas militants block the exits to the places residents were asked to evacuate, but Hamas militants block the exits and order people to return to their homes. Some of the people have no choice but to run towards the Israelis and ask for protection for their families. Hamas shoots some of those people as they are running; the rest are forced to return to their homes and get bombed. This is how the Shijaiya massacre happened in 2014. More than 100 people were killed."

Another Gazan journalist, D., said: "Hamas fires rockets from next to homes. Hamas runs from one home to another. Hamas lies when they claim they’re shooting from non-populated areas. To make things even worse for us, Hamas will fire from the balconies of homes and try to drag the Israelis into door-to-door battles and street-to-street fights -- a death sentence for all the civilians here. They will fire rockets and then run away quickly, leaving us to face Israeli bombs for what they did. They are nothing but cowards. If Hamas militants are not afraid of dying, why do they run after they fire rockets from our homes? Why don't they stay and die with us? Are they afraid to die and go to heaven? Isn't that what they claim they wish?"

Hamas boasted that Palestinian civilians were killed while Hamas's terrorists remained alive, hiding in their underground bunkers and tunnels. (Image source: Hamas video screenshot)

K, a graduate student at an Egyptian university had gone to Gaza back in 2014 to see his family but was unable to leave after the war started. He says: "When people stopped listening to Hamas orders not to evacuate and began leaving their homes anyway, Hamas imposed a curfew: anyone walking out in the street was shot without being asked any questions. That way Hamas made sure people had to stay in their homes even if they were about to get bombed. God will ask Hamas on judgment day for those killers' blood."
He was asked if Hamas used people as "human shields." He said: "Hamas held the entire Gazan population as a human shields. My answer to you is yes!”

S., a Gazan businessman, said: "The cease-fire Hamas agreed to carry the same conditions the Egyptians and the Israelis offered during the second week of the 2014 war -- after only 160 Gazan’s had been killed. Why did Hamas have to wait until 2,200 were killed, and then accept the very same offer? Hamas has blackmailed the world with the killed Gazan civilians to make itself look like a freedom fighter against an evil Israel. Hamas showed Gazan’s that it could not care less for their blood and their children. And why should Hamas care? Its leaders are either in mansions in Qatar or villas in Jordan. Mashaal [Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas] is in Qatar, Mohammad Nazzal is in Jordan and Abu Marzouk is in Cairo: why should they want a ceasefire? Everyone here in Gaza is wondering why Hamas rejected so many ceasefires. Hamas knows it will not defeat Israel's army, so why does it continue fighting? The answer is simple: Hamas wants us butchered so it could win the media war against Israel by showing our dead children on TV and then get money from Qatar."

O., a researcher who lives in Gaza Strip's second largest city, Khan Younis, said: "Most of us see Hamas as too radicalized, especially the way they refusing ceasefires offered from Israel. They even refused a 24-hour ceasefire during the third week of the 2014 war. They denied us even 24 hours of quiet to bury the dead. Even some of the ‘Hamas loyalists’ here are ask why Hamas refused several ceasefires and made them suffer. You have to keep in mind that Hamas is not concerned with our conditions as Gazan’s they never have. After all it is our children who are dying, not the children of the Hamas's leaders. Israel's Iron Dome destroys so many of their rockets before they even land in Israel; that is why Hamas is being ruthless with Gazan’s. When Hamas locks people inside homes about to be bombed, when it kills people for protesting against them, accusing them of being traitors without even a trial, they are war criminals!”
The Washington Institute reported that “most Gazan’s” are miserable under Hamas's governance.

"It is true," said A., a teacher. "I do not know a single Gazan who is pro-Hamas at the moment, except for those on its payroll. Hamas maintains its control here through a military dictatorship, just like North Korea. People will be killed if they protest or speak out against them. Even Gazan’s living abroad fear to criticize Hamas because Hamas will take revenge on their relatives who are still living here."

M., a Gazan television producer, stated: “I believe Hamas is more of a threat to the Palestinian people than they claim Israel to be. Hamas took over Gaza by killing us and throwing our young men from high buildings. That is what Hamas is about: terror, murder and power. Hamas is also delusional. Hamas lives in its own fantasy world. Hamas want dead bodies to make Israel look ugly. The media has exerted a huge pressure on Israel for every dead Gazan. In that sense, Hamas's tactic has worked, and we have seen more Western tolerance of Hamas, especially in Europe. Of course Hamas doesn't care if we all die so long as it achieves its goals. We are not going to accept living under Hamas much longer. Even if there is calm, and the firing stops, we are going to still be under Hamas's mercy, where all basic living standards are considered luxuries. And Qatar's Sheikh, he is Hamas's god who gives them billions and tells them what to do. May God curse Qatar!"

A first-aid volunteer, E., who was present during the 2014 war said they “witnessed Hamas militants confiscate 150 truckloads of humanitarian supplies facilitated by the IDF. He commented: "This theft angered all of us. The Israeli army allows supplies to come in, and then Hamas steals them all, leaving the people to suffer without aid. It seems even the Israelis care for us more than Hamas.

Another aid worker, A., confirmed that Hamas steals the humanitarian supplies given to Gaza. "They [Hamas] take most of it, sell it to us, and just give us the stuff they do not want."

A Gazan mosque's imam said that the back in 2014, the most precious aid item Hamas stole was water. "Gazan’s were thirsty and Hamas stole all the water bottles provided to us for free and sold them at 20 Israeli shekels [approximately $5] for the big bottle and 10 Israeli shekels for the small one."

H., who did not want his profession to be mentioned, lost one of his legs in an Israeli raid. I asked him who he thought was responsible for his injury. He stated: "Hamas was. My father received a text-message from the Israeli army warning him that our area was going to be bombed, and Hamas prevented us from leaving. They said there was a curfew. A curfew, can you believe that? I swear to God, we will take revenge on Hamas. I swear to God I will stand on my other foot and fight against Hamas. Even if Israel leaves them alone, we will not. What had my two-year-old nephew done to be killed under the rubble of our home so Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader based in Qatar could be happy? Nobody who is normal, in his right mind, in Gaza supports Hamas. People have lost parents, children and friends, in all these senseless conflicts with Israel, and they have nothing more to lose. I know if given the chance and the weapons, they will stand against Hamas."

K., a Gazan school teacher agreed: "When Hamas starts caring for our children, we would start caring for Hamas. Hamas has one policy, to attack Israel; so Israel attacks back, and gets us killed and Hamas then gets more money from Arabs and Turkey’s President Erdogan. My son has autism; he cannot handle the sounds of rockets and bombs landing. Why would I support Hamas, who is the cause of his suffering? Why? Gazan’s have had enough of Hamas, any claims that we love Hamas is just propaganda. A recent poll indicates that most of us support Hamas; this is not true, except maybe in the West Bank where they have not lived under Hamas rule. I cannot accuse the polling center of fabricating the poll, but my safest explanation for the result is that Gazan’s polled are too afraid to give their true opinions of Hamas. Hamas watches everything and everyone here. So why would they or their extended families have any love for Hamas? Would there be any common sense to that? Most Gazans are angry at Hamas, and most of us would love to see them replaced by any other force."

S., a graduate of an American university and a former Hamas sympathizer: “We want to live and work in Israel like we used to. We are under Hamas occupation, and if you ask most of us, we would rather be under Israeli occupation, instead. I would welcome Netanyahu to rule Gaza so long as Hamas leaves, and I think most Gazan’s feel the same way. We miss the days when we were able to work inside Israel and make good money, we miss the security and calm Israel provided when it was here."

M., who lost his 11 year old daughter in an Israeli counter bombing said: "I will not forgive Hamas for losing my daughter. If you ask me if I hate Israelis, my answer would be no, but do I love them? Of course not. There is too much blood between us, but I can only hope someday we both will move on and heal our wounds and seek peace with one another."

F., a Gazan physician, said: "I would rather be working in Israel like I used to. Hamas sympathizers, apologists and appeasers should be ashamed of themselves for supporting a terrorist organization that has butchered civilians, Israeli and Palestinian alike. The world should consider putting all the Hamas leaders on trial for crimes against innocent civilians."