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When Hamas Turned Its Guns on Us Gazans, the "Pro-Palestinian" Chorus Fell Silent
(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Moumen al-Natour - Gaza today stands on the edge of exhaustion. Streets once filled with life have become corridors of dust. The last Israeli hostage once held by Hamas has returned home; the movement had claimed their captivity served the dream of a state "from the river to the sea." What remains instead is a population stripped of safety and shelter still declaring triumph over devastation. Each round of war brings the same outcome - destruction followed by proclamations of glory. Repression is the regime's primary instrument: surveillance, arrests, intimidation and unspeakable scenes of public executions and torture. Just as Hamas live-streamed the atrocities of Oct. 7 to terrify Israelis, it makes use of video recordings of its brutality against alleged enemies within to strike fear into ordinary Gazans. Where are the protestors who for two years claimed to care for Gazans, now that footage of Hamas's cruelty against its own people floods social media? Are the activists who filled the streets of Western cities truly for us Palestinians - or simply against Israelis? The vision of a Gaza governed by civilians is the minimum condition for recovery. A society that values education, opportunity and safety over martyrdom could begin to resemble a normal community rather than a permanent front line. The longing for normal life now outweighs the appetite for heroic slogans. People want to live without being told that survival itself is victory. Those who have lost everything cannot celebrate defeat disguised as victory. The writer is a lawyer from Gaza, founder of the We Want to Live movement, and a former political prisoner of Hamas.