Pro-ISIS Outlets Slam Hamas's Affiliation With Iran Axis, Accuse Hamas Leaders of Indifference Towards Gazans; Assert That Ties With Iran-Backed Coalition Nullify Claims That The Fight For A Homeland Is Islamic

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here. 

The prolific pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Bariqah News Agency, a Telegram channel spearheading ISIS criticism of Hamas following the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war, posted commentary discrediting Hamas's approach to the Palestinian cause and highlighting Gazans' discontent with Hamas, accusing its leadership of "collaborationism." The channel also shared a message from the pro-ISIS media outlet Al-Battar Foundation castigating Hamas for its association with an Iran-backed coalition, saying that such ties nullify all claims that fighting for Palestine is a fight for the Islamic faith.

"Apostate Hamas Cares Only About Its Own Interests"

On November 28, 2023, Bariqah News Agency channel posted commentary arguing that the "apostate" Hamas leadership is bunkered down in underground hideouts and distributing relief aid to the group's members and families from private warehouses. Sheltered from ordinary Gazans, the leadership takes what it needs "without jostling or standing in long queues."

"Hamas cares only about its own interests and is not concerned about the people of Gaza, no matter how many are killed," the post added.[1]

Gazans Blame War On Qatar-Based "Collaborationist" Leaders

Accompanying the post was a 38-second video compilation highlighting Gazans' disapproval of Hamas. The clip opened with a scene of a man interrupting Iyad Al-Buzum, spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry during a press briefing, and shouted: "Allah is enough for us… I lodge my complaint to Allah, oh Hamas!"

"For us Allah is sufficient, and He is the best disposer of affairs," said another, followed by scene of a woman yelling in anger: "All blame goes to the Hamas dogs."

The video concludes with a scene of a family apparently headed south as part of the humanitarian evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip, as a man directs criticism at Hamas's political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, a.k.a Abu Al-'Abd, and former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, saying: "The ones who destroyed the land are the likes of Abu Al-'Abd. You are a big collaborationist. You and Meshaal are agents."

"Hamas's Military Spokesperson Lied"; Killing Hostages Would Have Forced Israel To Negotiate

The post accused Abu 'Ubaydah, the military spokesman of Hamas's military wing, 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, of deceiving the people of Gaza, after he threatened Israel that Hamas would kill the Israeli hostages.

"If he had done just that, bombing would have subsided or fully stopped, and the Jews would have rushed to negotiate. But he lied and released them, proud and honored," the post read, adding: "The Jews were fully confident that apostate Hamas would never dare harm their hostages."

Affiliation With Shi'ites Nullifies Hamas's Argument It Champions Palestine As An Islamic Cause

On November 28, 2023, the pro-ISIS Al-Battar Foundation published a poster titled: "The Palestinian Cause Is Not an Instrument of Atonement," arguing that the Palestinian cause is a matter of faith and shari'a and can only be supported as such.[2]

The poster's text explains that the supporters of the Palestinian cause need to remove the "veil of hypocrisy" and the use of fake shari'a slogans used to mobilize people. It continues, noting that jihad is the only permissible form of fighting, and that the "duty" to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem must be governed by the rules of shari'a, and not by "desires and emotions" for the sake of a "homeland."

Al-Battar then moved to discredit Shi'ite-led regimes in Iran and Syria for falsely claiming to support Palestine as an Islamic cause while they defame the Prophet's household, noting that the "theatrics" and so-called fight against Israel does not absolve their unbelief, nor does it excuse the killing of a half-million Sunni Muslims in Iraq and Syria and imprisoning double that number.

Such affiliation with the Iran axis, the poster argued, nullifies Hamas and other Palestinian groups' claim that the Palestinian cause is a matter of faith; the ongoing fight is only for the sake of a "homeland."

In conclusion, the media outlet contends that the path of Islam and the path of Hamas are two separate lines that never intersect, noting that fighting Israel does not forgive the religious offenses of Shi'ite allies, nor does it absolve their unbelief.