THE date of 7 October brings back to my mind the image of the young German-Israeli woman Shani Louk, dancing at an outdoor music festival shortly before she was abducted, abused, and killed by Hamas. It was reported that her body was paraded through the streets of Gaza to the cries of “Allahu Akbar.” She was just one of many who were murdered in the well-planned early-morning assault, the horrors of which were gleefully recorded by the terrorists themselves.
A year on, the relentless Israeli retaliation against Hamas has brought death, homelessness, hunger, and disease to the Gaza Strip. We have been given the impression that Hamas represents not only the people of Gaza, but all Palestinians who have been affected by recent Israeli policies, such as the expansion of settlements on the West Bank, the continuing threats to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, and the officious and violent Israeli policing of Palestinian towns and villages.
A reported 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as a result of the Israeli response to 7 October. But there is another and less frequently told side to this story of misery. On 18 June, I was listening to the radio in my car when Radio 4’s PM featured a report from inside Gaza. This included voices that I had not previously heard: the voices of those who were opposed to Hamas and its policies.
They spoke in full awareness of the dangers of speaking out: many had been harassed or punished for their views. But their voices are evidence that there is genuine opposition to Hamas in Gaza. There are good reasons for such opposition. After all, under the rule of Hamas, Gazans have seen Western aid being spent on weapons and armaments — aid that could have spent on building the viable economy that could have transformed the lives of the population.
They have watched while a massive invisible fortress has been built underground, with entrances deliberately placed in hospitals, schools, and other public buildings. They have been left stranded and defenceless between Israeli bombs raining down from above and the militants in the safety of their tunnels under their feet.
And, while Western supporters of the Palestinian cause fly the flag and orchestrate mass demonstrations against Israel, it is important not to forget that Hamas’s ultimate interests lie beyond the establishment of a free Palestine — beyond, even, the destruction of Israel. Hamas’s ultimate aim, as with other extreme Islamist terrorist groups, whether Sunni or Shiite, is the establishment of a universal Caliphate and the destruction of the West. Deaths, sufferings, and martyrdom are to be welcomed in that struggle, as long as the real militants stay safe below the ground and the price of war is paid by those above it.
As we look back to last year’s assault on Israel, we should remember that those who died a year ago are not the only innocent victims of Hamas.