Residents of Gaza continue to harshly criticize Hamas and its leadership on social media and at demonstrations.[1] They accuse it of insisting on continuing the war against Israel at any cost, despite achieving nothing but death and destruction, of waging wars that serve Iran's agenda and do not liberate Palestine, and of endangering civilians' lives by using them as human shields for its military operatives. Criticism and mockery is also directed at statements made by Hamas leaders who live abroad but expect the people of Gaza to bear the cost of the war. One social media user even called these leaders "beasts and asses "We want the rivers and lakes of blood to drown everybody, so that we can take great pleasure [in it] while we pretend to cry through our screens and behind our keyboards, as we sip coffee or wine.
The following is a sampling of the criticism voiced against Hamas and its leaders.
Hamas Is Waging A Needless War; Sinwar Is Destroying Gaza And Killing Its People
Gazans on social media continue to hold the leaders of Hamas responsible for the war with Israel, especially Hamas Political Bureau chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar. Much of the criticism voiced by Gazans refers to Hamas' callous disregard of their lives, their property, and their opinions, stating that this movement, despite its claims to the contrary, does not really care about the people of Gaza.
In an anti-Hamas protest in the Gaza Strip on February 22, 2023, a Gaza man said that Hamas is shooting at hungry people looking for food, and that they have involved the people of Gaza in a war they do not want. He said: "We want peace. We want our children to go to school. Our children shouldn't be displaced." He went on to accuse Hamas' leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar of killing his own people, saying: "It is you that is killing us, not the Israeli army."
To watch a MEMRI TV clip of his statements, click below.
On February 4, 2024, X user "Ayman Shurrab" shared a picture of Sinwar and wrote: "What will you say to Allah [on Judgement Day], oh you who are responsible [for this war]? You have destroyed Gaza, killed its people, and displaced its residents, and you continue to trade in our [lives] and to delay the hudna [i.e. ceasefire with Israel]…"[2]
Ayman Shurrab's tweet
X user "Abu Kinan" likewise accused Hamas and Sinwar of waging war at the expense of the Gazans on orders from Iran, writing on February 18: "If we are alive when the war ends, I don't plan to stay in Gaza even one more minute, and neither does my family. Leave the land to Sinwar and his gang [i.e., Hamas]. Maybe they've won. We have sacrificed enough. We have lost our lives, our jobs, our homes, and our property even though we have done nothing wrong. And all because some Shi'ites [i.e., Iran] decide our fate. This land is gone forever and will never be restored."[3]
Abu Kinan's tweet
Those Who Fire From Residential Neighborhoods Are Murderers, Not Resistance Fighters; Hamas Leaders Dine On Delicacies While Feeding On The Blood Of The Gazans
Facebook user "Abu Ezz Ahmed" called Hamas' fighters "murderers" and accused them of endangering the lives of the Gazans by firing rockets at Israel from residential neighborhoods. In a February 17 Facebook post he wrote:
"Those who fired three rockets yesterday from a crowded residential neighborhood in northern Gaza – are they resistance fighters or collaborators? Where were these murderers – yes, murderers – with their rusty rockets when the residents left the area? Where were they when the tanks sowed destruction and devastation?... Where were they hiding[?]…
"When the residents returned to their neighborhoods to look for what remained of their homes and shelter there after the [Israeli] army withdrew, those [murderers] turned up to fire their devastating rockets – three rockets that all fell into the sea.
"Come on, is this how resistance fighters behave? The poor people took their mattresses and belongings and fled the area for fear of the Israeli bombing [that would come] in retaliation to the rockets.
"You saw what happened to us in Gaza when the resistance became a media show, a business, a [form of] robbery and a [source of] livelihood. Its leaders and their families dine on delicacies while feeding on our blood…"[4]
Abu Ezz Ahmed's Facebook post
Instead Of Liberating Palestine, You Destroyed Gaza And Set It A Million Years Back
X user "Rawan" accused Hamas of destroying the Gaza Strip instead of liberating Palestine, tweeting: "Hamas, is this the campaign of liberation[?] Contrary to the hypocritical lies you have been feeding people while deluding yourselves that you are most suited to lead the people and liberate Palestine!... You have destroyed the city [of Gaza] and set it back a million years. You have beggared the Gazan people, who were once strong and honorable. Now the wealthy have become poor and the poor are dying of hunger."[5]
Rawan's tweet
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X user "Yousuf Ashraf" attacked Hamas for shrugging off its responsibility for the Gazans' safety, tweeting on February 13: "We are [now] under the responsibility of UNRWA and America… May Allah curse Hamas and the day it came to power."[6]
Hamas' Leadership Abroad Purports To Speak For Gazans, But Is Disconnected From Reality
Gazans on social media also aim their anger at senior Hamas officials who reside abroad but who purport to speak for the Gazan people and demand of them more sacrifices and more "steadfastness."
Post on Gazan Telegram channel opposed to Hamas: "[Hamas'] leaders at hotels [abroad] do not represent us" (T.me/ahrarqaza2024, February 28, 2024)
Cartoon on anti-Hamas Telegram channel. Hamas leadership tells Gazans to persevere "for the sake of the homeland;" the Gazans respond: "There's no more money and no more homeland – your [Al-Aqsa] Flood has destroyed us" (T.me/ahrarqaza2024, February 2, 2024)
"Tell Mr. Osama Hamdan To Shut Up, We Are Sick Of His Speeches And Loathe The Sound Of His Voice"
Gazans on social media directed much criticism at Hamas official Osama Hamdan, who since October 7 has become a prominent spokesman for the movement and delivers flowery speeches at press conferences in Beirut. X user "Selwan" tweeted: "[Osama] Hamdan, a new addition to the list of curse words."[7] On the following day, user "Zakariya" wrote in a similar vein: "Good morning to everyone – except for Osama Hamdan, may Allah not wish him a good morning."[8]
On February 23, Gazan judge Ziad Abu Al-Hajj wrote on his Facebook page: "By Allah, tell Mr. Osama Hamdan to shut up, we are sick of his speeches and loathe the sound of his voice. [Leaders of Hamas], give the people a solution [to the war], even if there is a need to compromise. Save what is left of us."[9]
Ziad Abu Al-Hajj's Facebook post
Hamas Members Relish The Bloodbath In The Gaza Strip
Hamas member Ibrahim Al-Madhoun, a journalist and pundit living abroad who frequently publishes propaganda materials that echo Hamas' official lines, also aroused the ire of many Gazans on social media, who have openly criticized him. For example, on February 3, 2024 Al-Madhoun wrote in a tweet (which he later deleted after it sparked intense criticism):
"The messages coming out of the Gaza Strip say: We do not want to end the war, at any cost. We have paid a great price so far, and we will not accept anything less than liberty and a state. We will never return to blockades and closed border crossings. We are willing to continue [this war] to the end – this is what the Palestinians in the streets of Gaza are saying.
"The resistance is saying: We are ready for something even bigger, and the next thing will shock the world just like October 7. The [Hamas military wing the Izz Al-Din] Al-Qassam Brigades have already prepared a defensive and offensive plan that will be unfold in the fourth month of the Al-Aqsa Flood [war]; it is based on total attrition of the occupation army and its irreversible dismantlement… Time is working in favor of the attrition of the enemy army and the end of the [Zionist] enterprise in the land of Palestine."[10]
In response, X user "Abu Mustafa" wrote that Al-Madhoun would have said such things on behalf of the people of Gaza were he physically there. He tweeted on February 4: "When will the lies stop? When will the trading in the blood of our nation stop? Have you no shred of conscience? If you said such a thing among our people in Gaza, they would have torn you to pieces!"[11]
Abu Mustafa's tweet
After Al-Madhoun deleted his post due to the criticism, X user "Asef Mustafa" shared a post reading:
"The coward Ibrahim Al-Madhoun has erased his tweet in which he claimed that the people are not interested in ending the war and actually want it to continue. Oh Ibrahim, if you were speaking the truth, why did you delete this tweet, in which you ostensibly defended the view of the people?
"But you know that what you wrote was a lie, and you know that your people want to end the war at all costs. Stop lying and stop peddling in the suffering of our people, oh Ibrahim the liar.
"These [posts shared here were tweeted by] my friend Mu'adh, oh Ibrahim the liar. He was martyred today, and in the past he used to curse your Sinwar and your [Muhammad] Deif, and your futile wars that have killed us and our spirits. Imagine, oh Ibrahim the liar, that Sinwar and Deif will be the opponents of Mu'adh on Judgement Day, [just] like Netanyahu and the leaders of the occupation, because they have traded in our blood and in the dismembered corpses of our children.
"My friend Mu'adh is from among the people and he is the people. So Ibrahim the liar, if you are a man, share the message of the martyr Mu'adh on your page, since this is the real message reflecting the will of the people."[12]
Asef Mustafa's tweet
On February 5, 2024, Facebook user "Adam Al-Madhoon" also shared a post responding to Ibrahim Al-Madhoun:
"Regarding the messages that are not coming out of Gaza!
"The messages coming from abroad are saying: We do not want to end the war, we want to see more, to see more blood and destruction, and to praise the steadfastness of the people who are being forced to be steadfast.
"We want the rivers and lakes of blood to drown everybody, so that we can relish [it] while we pretend to cry through our screens and behind our keyboards, as we sip coffee or wine.
"We want you, the people of Gaza who are being slaughtered, to continue to the end, so that we can tell you that you are heroes and legends.
"By Allah, by Allah, by Allah – the messages that are being written, heard, and seen [from Gaza] say something [completely] different, but [Ibrahim Al-Madhoun and those like him] are a nation of beasts and asses who have grown used to the bloodbath and take great pleasure in it.
#May_You_And_The_War_Be_Cursed."[13]
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11024 - Growing Criticism Of Hamas And Its Officials By Gaza Residents: They Brought A Needless War Upon Us; Our Lives Are Worthless In Their Eyes; We Yearn To See The End Of Hamas – December 18, 2023.
[2] Twitter.com/aymanshurrab44, February 4, 2024.
[3] Twitter.com/hassanemad01, February 18, 2024.
[4] Facebook.com/abuezz.shehab, February 17, 2024.
[5] Twitter.com/rawan_qu, February 12, 2024.
[6] Twitter.com/yousef_ashraaff, February 13, 2024. Ashraf may be referring to statements made by Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouq, who said that protecting the Gazan civilians is the responsibility of the UN and Israel, not of Hamas. See MEMRI TV Clip No. 10917, Hamas Official Mousa Abu Marzouk: The Tunnels In Gaza Were Built To Protect Hamas Fighters, Not Civilians; Protecting Gaza Civilians Is The Responsibility Of The U.N. And Israel, October 30, 2023.
[7] Twitter.com/selwan_i, February 3, 2024.
[8] Twitter.com/Zekaa15, February 4, 2024.
[9] Facebook.com/100007307354471, February 23, 2024.
[10] Twitter.com/ibmadhun, February 3, 2024. The post has since been deleted.
[11] Twitter.com/BKE76pali, February 2, 2024.
[12] Twitter.com/ustafa_ad, February 4, 2024. The post has since been deleted.
[13] Facebook.com/61552251167131, February 5, 2024.
