In a series of recent posts in English on X (formerly Twitter), Egyptian liberal writer Dalia Ziada, director of the MEEM Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, comes out strongly against Hamas and against the claim that that its leader Isma'il Haniyeh, who was killed in a targeted Israeli attack on July 31, 2024, was a pragmatic politician. She states that the true character of Haniyeh and of his movement is patently evident from the brutality of Hamas' October 7 attacks against Israeli civilians, as well as from the Hamas manifesto, which vows jihad against Israel and death to all Jews, as well as to America and the entire West. But it is even more evident, she stresses, from Haniyeh's own statement in which he "called for more bloodshed of the Gaza people so his terrorist group, which uses the Gaza civilians as human shields, gets stronger."[1]
She adds that Israel is fighting and winning the war against the terrorists on behalf of the entire Middle East, and that Gaza will definitely have a better chance to recover after the defeat of Hamas and the elimination of its leaders.
Responding to a July 31 message by Qatar's foreign minister, Muhammad bin Abd Al-Rahman Aal Thani, which claimed that Israel's assassination of Haniyeh endangered the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Ziada writes that this post, like a similar statement issued by Egypt, implies that the talks between Hamas and Israel are genuinely aimed at ending the hostilities in Gaza – but that is not the case. For Hamas, she says, the talks are just an attempt to save the movement and its leaders from the Israeli army, which is steadily crushing and defeating them. And on Qatar's part, they are just an effort to make this country appear bigger than its actual size by playing the role of mediator, and an effort to burnish the image of the Hamas leaders it is hosting in its territory by presenting them as politicians rather than "terrorists with a proven track record of horrific atrocities against the Jewish people and also their own Palestinian people."
It should be noted that, following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, Ziada posted many messages harshly critical of the movement and its supporters, and of those who celebrated the attack.[2]
Dalia Ziada (Image: X.com/daliaziada)
The following are her recent posts, all of them from July 31, 2024:[3]
Just Imagine How Much Innocent Blood Has Been Saved By Ending The Terrorist Life Of Hamas Leader Isamil Haniyeh
In one of her posts, Ziada wrote: "In response to all the headlines that claim that Ismael Haniyeh was a 'moderate politician' who called for peace and not for war, I won't ask you to look back at the brutality of the October 7 attacks that were committed against Israeli civilians by Hamas, the organization that he leads. I won't ask you to read Hamas' manifesto, which vows jihad against Israel and swear death to the Jewish people, and all the statements by Hamas leaders that vow death to America and the West. I will only ask you to listen to Haniyeh in his own words, calling for more bloodshed of the Gaza people so his terrorist group, which uses the Gaza civilians as human shields, gets stronger. That does not sound like a moderate politician seeking peace!"
In another post, she wrote: "As I said before, October 7 was the beginning of the end for Hamas and July 27 is the beginning of the end of Hezbollah. Israel is fighting this war on behalf of all of us in the Middle East region and it is WINNING. Just imagine how much innocent blood is now saved by ending the terrorist life of Hamas leader Isamil Haniyeh, who once said: 'The blood of the women, children and elderly […] we are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit, so it awakens with us resolve.'"[4]
"The Ceasefire Talks Were Qatar's Tool To Protect Hamas And Polish The Image Of Its Jihadist Leaders By Making Them Appear As Political Negotiators Rather Than Terrorists"
In yet another post the same day, Ziada wrote: "Whom are you trying to fool?! Haniyeh, the chief jihadist of Hamas who vowed death to Israel, America, and the West... was a 'politician?!' Was 'moderate?!' Was 'pro-peace with Israel'?! Let's discuss that in detail!
"So, it started with Qatar's foreign minister arguing in an X post this morning that Haniyeh's assassination is risking the progress of the ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel. The minister seemed to assume that these were genuine peace negotiations and that Haniyeh was really here to negotiate peace, not for political maneuvering. Sadly, my home country, Egypt, joined in with a press statement blaming the 'dangerous Israeli escalation policy' for 'undermining efforts to broker an end to the fighting in Gaza.' The truth is that these so-called 'ceasefire talks' were merely an attempt / a maneuver to throw a lifeline for Hamas leaders and rescue them from the hands of the Israeli army IDF that has been crushing them in their hideouts in Gaza since October 7.
"The ceasefire negotiations were only a sham act that the participating mediators had to play for their own domestic audience for reasons that are not necessarily related to the Israel-Palestinian conflict: Qatar wanted to appear bigger than its own actual geopolitical size by assuming the role of a mediator. The ceasefire talks were also Qatar's tool to protect Hamas and polish the image of its jihadist leaders by making them appear as political negotiators rather than terrorists with a proven track record of horrific atrocities against the Jewish people and also their own Palestinian people. The Egyptian leadership was desperately trying to compensate for domestic failures and retrieve its lost role as a regional leader by picking an old trick from Mubarak's playbook—namely, championing the "Palestinian cause" while mediating barren "Israel-Palestinian talks" that led to nothing. Except that it is not the 1990s anymore! For the US Administration, the issue is about the upcoming presidential elections and its lost role in the Middle East.
"In short, the claim that the assassination of Haniyeh is risking ceasefire talks and undermining Gaza's chances to recover is all false! The ceasefire talks have already been a big fail, and Gaza will definitely have a better chance to recover after the defeat of Hamas and the elimination of its evil leaders."
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10911, – Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh: We Need The Blood Of Women, Children, And The Elderly Of Gaza – So It Awakens Our Revolutionary Spirit – October 27, 2024.
[2] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10895 - Egyptian Writer Dalia Ziada: Gaza Hospital Bombing Benefits Hamas; Hamas Is A Terrorist Organization And Will Remain So; Innocent Civilians On Both Sides Pay The Price For This Terrible War – October 20, 2023.
[3] X.com/daliaziada, July 31, 2024.
[4] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 10911, – Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh: We Need The Blood Of Women, Children, And The Elderly Of Gaza – So It Awakens Our Revolutionary Spirit – October 27, 2024/
