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Gazans Vent Anger Against Hamas

(Financial Times-UK) Mai Khaled - Palestinians in Gaza are increasingly willing to voice their anger against Hamas, accusing the militant group of failing to anticipate Israel's ferocious retaliation for its Oct. 7 attack that sparked the devastating six-month war. As Israel's offensive has reduced the enclave to rubble, residents such as Nassim have begun speaking out against the Islamist group. "They should have predicted Israel's response and thought of what would happen to the 2.3 million Gazans who have nowhere safe to go. They [Hamas] should have restricted themselves to military targets." Mohammed, another Gazan, blamed Yahya Sinwar - the leader of Hamas in Gaza and the mastermind of Oct. 7 - for the devastation. "I pray every day for God to punish the one who brought us to this situation. I pray every day for the death of Sinwar." Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, said, "There is no doubt support for Hamas is declining in Gaza because more and more people feel it has some responsibility for the pain they are enduring." "The role of the resistance is to protect us civilians, not to sacrifice us," said Samia, one of those displaced to Rafah. "I don't want to die and I didn't want my children to witness what they've seen and to live in a tent suffering from hunger, cold and poverty." But even with anger rising against the group, analysts say that Hamas can count on the core support of about 20-25% of the population. "There's a bloc which backs Hamas and the resistance, whatever they do, and they are ready to pay the price," said Azmi Keshawi, Gaza analyst at the International Crisis Group.
2024-04-28 00:00:00
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