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Palestinians: "We Are Dying Because of Hamas"

(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - The ceasefire-hostage deal collapsed on March 18 because Hamas is not prepared to release all the hostages, disarm, and cede control. Hamas considers the hostages an "insurance policy" for holding onto power. On March 9, 2025, senior Hamas official Khaled Mashaal said that the Palestinians would never disarm. "The path of jihad and resistance is the way to regain the homeland, honor, and freedom, and to free the prisoners [from Israeli jail]. The world respects only the strong." Also in March, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri stressed that any discussion of disarming Hamas is "nonsense" and that the issue is "not up for bargaining, discussion, or negotiation." During the past few days, many Gazans took to social media to lash out at Hamas for refusing to release all the hostages and end the war. Although many Palestinians continue to support Hamas and the "resistance" against Israel, a growing number are speaking out. Gazan Abu Ezz Ahmed said: "Anyone who has even a grain of love for the people of Gaza must raise their voice now and demand - immediately and without delay - that Hamas free Gaza for the sake of God by handing over the hostages and lifting its hand from Gaza. We are dying because of Hamas." Palestinian human rights and peace activist Hamza Howidy wrote that for Hamas, "surrender means facing their own failure. It means admitting that all of this - the loss, the destruction, the unimaginable suffering - was for nothing. And that is something they cannot bear." Egyptian political analyst Khaled Hassan said: "I've never seen that many Gazans angry at Hamas. For the first time in my life, the overwhelming majority of Gazans are treating them with the contempt they deserve. I can confidently say that the majority of Gazans I saw commenting online said they want the hostages released in exchange for a return to the ceasefire. In my view, this is big. The military pressure is working." The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
2025-03-23 00:00:00
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