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Source: https://jcpa.org/palestinians-loathed-the-corrupt-club-of-hamas-leaders-in-qatar/
Palestinians Loathed the Corrupt Club of Hamas Leaders in Qatar
(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Khaled Abu Toameh - Although public opinion polls have indicated a rise in support for Hamas among West Bank Palestinians, the number of demonstrators who took to the streets to protest against the July 31, 2024, targeting of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was notably low. Yet the low turnout does not signify a decline in these Palestinians' support for Hamas. The killing did not come as a surprise. News of the death of senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials has become commonplace among Palestinians, especially over the past ten months. Moreover, Haniyeh was killed in Tehran. There is no love for Iran among many Palestinians. Since Oct. 7, the West Bank has experienced extremely dire economic conditions, primarily as a result of Israeli authorities forbidding or restricting Palestinian laborers from entering Israel. This is in addition to a massive Israeli security crackdown on armed groups, particularly in the northern West Bank. According to Palestinian sources, more than 500 Palestinians, mostly gunmen, have been killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7. There is growing recognition that Hamas has forced the Palestinians in Gaza to endure another "nakba" (catastrophe) as a result of its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. For some Palestinians, Haniyeh and the Qatar-based Hamas leaders lived affluent lifestyles abroad while their people in Gaza were suffering. Others are incensed with the Hamas leaders in Gaza for wreaking havoc on their people. The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center.