Gazans in rare criticism of Hamas over truce delay

The Islamist organization Hamas, which controls the confined and conflict-ravaged Palestinian region, has come under fire from some Gazans for not putting a stop to the war with Israel that has destroyed their way of life.
Umm Ala, 67, who has been relocated twice during the more than eight months of battle between Israel and Palestinian militants led by Hamas, claimed that Hamas had “led the Palestinian people into a war of annihilation”.

“If the Hamas leaders were interested in ending this war and ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, they would have agreed (to a deal),” added Umm Ala, who has now sought refuge in Khan Yunis, the main city in the southern Gaza Strip.

Gazans who spoke to AFP were asked if they thought that Hamas was also responsible for delays in reaching a new truce.

An AFP count based on Israeli official data showed that 1,194 people, largely civilians, were killed in Hamas’s historic October 7 strike on Israel, which precipitated the start of the conflict.
That day, the insurgents also took 251 captives. Out of them, 116 are still in Gaza, despite the army claiming 41 had died.

In response to the October 7 attack, Israel’s military launched a blistering land, air and sea offensive against Hamas in Gaza that has left at least 37,232 people dead, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry.

Apart from a one-week truce in November, which saw the release of more than 100 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, several attempts at forging a new ceasefire have failed.
Mediators the United States, Egypt and Qatar are once again engaged in negotiations with Israel and Hamas to try to finalise a deal to end the war.

However, several Gazans, who have been subject to restrictions and fear ever since Hamas took control of the region in 2007, hold the Islamists responsible for the war’s immense destruction.
Abu Eyad, 55, a resident of north Gaza, claimed that Hamas has made a “mockery of us, our pain and the destruction of our lives”.

Abu Eyad, whose three children reside with various relatives in different places, attacked the political leadership of Hamas, who were being hosted by Qatar, claiming that they were “sleeping comfortably, eating and drinking”.
“Have you ever tried to actually live our lives today?” Eyad enquired. “Did you know that many times we don’t find any food at all?”