After the October 7 massacre, the international community was shocked by the harsh atrocities committed by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Palestinian civilians who participated in the attack.
Hamas has been compared to ISIS and the Nazis, which has given Israel broad international support and credit for acting in Gaza to topple Hamas and bring the hostages back home.
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Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
(Photo: AP, AFP)
Hamas and the PA’s smear campaign against Israel
Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority realized that in order to win this war they would have to use the card that the Palestinians have been using for years – to smear Israel’s legitimacy in the world.
Nabil Abu Radina, spokesman for the office of Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority has said that the “series of daily killing crimes” of the IDF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is a comprehensive “war of extermination against the Palestinian people”.
This is how the murderous organization tries to obscure the symbolic date of the horrible massacre it carried out against Israel – and makes the date symbolic for the Palestinians – as “the day Israel attacked the Palestinians."
Palestinian officials from the PLO and Hamas also use the terms “extermination” and “Holocaust” to strengthen the influence on public opinion that Israel is committing a “Holocaust” to the Palestinian people.
Hamas spreads disinformation on Palestinian female prisoners
Hamas continues to present false information that Israel keeps women, elderly people and children in extremely difficult conditions to further characterize Israel as “the aggressor."
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Hamas disinformation campaign: 'Why are you silent? Our female prisoners are in danger'
(Illustration: daffamedia)
In January 2024, Hamas started a social media campaign using female terrorists imprisoned in Israeli prisons for its counterpropaganda. It published various posts in which the “Palestinian women prisoners” are described as experiencing abuse in the prisons and that they are “in danger”. Moreover, Hamas detailed the “abuses” that Palestinian women suffer in Israeli prisons: “Severe beatings and torture, a shameful (physical) examination” and more.
Hamas uses external agencies to incite against Israel
Al Jazeera to further incite against Israel:
Hamas employs not only its own disinformation tactics but also leverages affiliated media channels and a network of compliant journalists for information and propaganda purposes.
During IDF operations in late January 2024 at a Hamas base in the northern Gaza Strip, the laptop of Muhammad Samir Muhammad Wishah, a reporter for Al Jazeera Mubasher and the Al Jazeera network in Gaza, was seized.
This discovery underscores the presence of terrorist operatives posing as journalists within Al Jazeera’s ranks, raising questions about the network’s credibility. Based in Qatar, Al Jazeera often serves as a mouthpiece for Hamas, frequently inciting against Israel.
UNRWA abused by Hamas:
At the end of January 2024, Israeli intelligence officials presented their American counterparts with incriminating material that proved that several UNRWA employees, at least 12 took part in the brutal Hamas massacre on October 7.
The Americans informed officials in other countries, which led to a dramatic decision by countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia and the Netherlands to freeze aid funding to UNRWA.
Another example is Hamas Economy Minister Jawad Abu Shamala, who was eliminated by the IDF at the beginning of the war. He also worked at the UNRWA agency. However, the organization’s 12 employees are only the tip of the iceberg of a much wider phenomenon.
The data shows that of the organization’s 12,000 employees in the Gaza Strip, nearly 9,500 are directly or indirectly related to Hamas. This means that one out of every five UNRWA workers in the Gaza Strip is a member of Hamas indicating the severity of the issue.
Eran LahavHamas is concealing its terrorist activities under the guise of legitimate civil organizations and agencies. Members posing as journalists or humanitarian workers are part of its efforts to obscure the atrocities committed on October 7 and to engage in a new form of Palestinian reverse advocacy. This elaborate terrorism theater aims to deceive the international community, gain sympathy and undermine Israel’s legitimacy while promoting its ultimate goal of eliminating the State of Israel.
One prominent player in this deception is UNRWA. Employees of this agency have participated in terrorist activities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, using the organization to channel funds from contributing countries toward weapons and ammunition. This misuse necessitates the closure of UNRWA and its replacement with another humanitarian aid organization under strict supervision.
Israel must demand that Western countries halt funding to UNRWA. It must be made clear that an agency intended to care for refugees cannot be allowed to serve as a conduit for terrorism under the guise of humanitarian aid. The show must NOT go on.
- Eran Lahav is a researcher of terrorism specializing in global Jihad and Iranian proxies. He is the founder of the “Mabaterror” and a member of IDSF-Habithonistim - Israel's Defense and Security Forum