Hamas appears to be sensing that its rule may be in jeopardy in Gaza. As such it is now returning to its roots as a thuggish, mafia-like organization, and has been cracking down on Gazans who speak out or oppose its rule. This is part of a larger, more brutal process, that is playing out in Gaza as gunmen have massacred people seeking humanitarian aid.
It’s important to understand the context here. Hamas began as a relatively small organization. Although its ideological roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam, its actual early members such as Yahya Sinwar, were brutal murderers who emerged in a mafia-like world in places like Khan Younis.
In those days, in the 1980s, Israel controlled cities in Gaza. Family rivalries used to result in feuds and killings. Later, in the 1990s, there was still a great deal of violence in Gaza between clans. Hamas replaced these groups with its own brand of brutality.
Downing dissent in the Gaza Strip
After 2007, when Hamas came to power in Gaza through a coup against the Palestinian Authority, it was quick to put down any dissent. Hamas also benefited from a partnership with international organizations and providing “security” for most internationals and the UN in Gaza. What this meant is that Hamas police were seen as “law and order” by international groups that tended to prefer Hamas.
After the October 7 massacre and Israel’s retaliation, Hamas has lost control of some areas of Gaza. However, their plainclothes thugs have returned to many of these areas when Israel withdraws, and those thugs seek to keep people from speaking out against the terrorist group.
It appears now that Hamas is concerned it could be losing a grip on power. This comes as Israel has sought to enable humanitarian aid to enter Gaza via routes that avoid the Hamas “protection” that takes place in Rafah in southern Gaza. Hamas uses its control over aid to control Gaza.
Escalating violence in Gaza
On Friday, gunmen in Gaza shot at civilians who were trying to obtain aid at the Kuwaiti roundabout which is in the southern Zaytun area, south of Gaza city. This area is near the Natzerim corridor that is controlled by the IDF. The gunmen operate in the area that is outside of IDF control.
The IDF said that “About an hour before the entry of the aid convoy last night [May 14], Palestinian gunmen were seen opening fire in the midst of a crowd of Gazan civilians. We emphasize that there was no opening of fire by IDF forces at the aid convoy in Kuwait Square. The IDF is continuing to examine the incident while making strenuous efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas terrorists are harming the residents of Gaza and spreading lies with the purpose of blaming the State of Israel.”
It’s not clear if the gunmen who massacred the people near the Kuwait roundabout were Hamas members, but it stands to reason that they were.
Hamas is the group that has access to weapons and it is in Hamas interest to massacre people. In addition the Hamas-run health authorities sought to put out claims that Israel was responsible for the killings.
Hamas sought to portray this as another “massacre” similar to the stampede in late February. Israel is now facilitating more aid to Gaza via a new artificial pier so that aid can arrive by sea. This, and another aid corridor for trucks, is supposed to enable aid to be delivered without Hamas control. Hamas wants massacres and stampedes to try to stop this aid being delivered. Hamas also opposes the airdrops of aid. Hamas has likely encouraged its contacts in international organizations to put out statements against the airdrops.
Another part of the Hamas crackdown is the targeting of Gazan clans. Reports of an initiative by Israel to work with clans in Gaza to replace Hamas clearly concerns the terrorist group. Hamas recently murdered several members of Gazan clans to send a mafia-like message against these family-based groups. One of the victims of this new Hamas reign of terror was the leader of the Doghmush clan. The clan is powerful in eastern Gaza, in areas such as Tal al-Hawa and Sabra, according to a report at Ynet. Saleh Doghmush is a leader of the clan, it was not immediately clear if he was confirmed as the victim of the Hamas killing. Hamas has increased its rhetoric against the clans over the last week as week.
The IDF said on Tuesday, March 12 that “in accordance with government directives, six humanitarian aid trucks containing aid from the World Food Organization (WFP) entered the northern Gaza Strip via the “96th” gate on the security fence last night (Tuesday). This was done as part of a pilot in order to prevent the Hamas terrorist organization from taking over the aid.” In addition on Wednesday, March 13, the IDF said that ”following IDF and ISA intelligence, an IDF aircraft precisely targeted and eliminated a terrorist in Hamas’ Operations Unit in the area of Rafah, Muhammad Abu Hasna. Hasna was a combat support operative in Hamas’ military wing. He was also involved in taking control of humanitarian aid and distributing it to Hamas terrorists.”
These two statements illustrate how Israel is also following developments in Gaza regarding the aid distribution issue. To remove Hamas from controlling Gaza will require removing their control over aid. Now there are discussions about Israel’s operations in the southern city of Rafah, which Hamas uses to control aid coming into Gaza. Israel has now approved plans for an operation in Rafah. Meanwhile, hostage talks are also ongoing.
Hamas does not want to lose control over aid entering Gaza. Its recent murderous approach clearly indicates the lengths it will go to keep a hand on the aid and not let any other alternate authorities emerge. Hamas is now concentrating more on suppressing Gazans than fighting Israel.
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