The heroic Israeli operation which led to the release of four hostages stirred much discourse online. While some Hamas supporters attempted to reduce the significance of the operation, accuse Israel of using humanitarian apparatuses to infiltrate the area, or claimed that the world is ignoring the alleged death toll of Gazans; others denounced Hamas for the act of placing the hostages in crowded civilian areas and even celebrated the release of the hostages.
Al Jazeera correspondent Tamer Almisshal saw it fit to stress that the four released “prisoners” were not among the list of soldiers held by the radical terror group, admitting that “the operation certainly came at a critical time and will have repercussions at various levels, especially since it was accompanied by a horrific massacre in which a large number of civilians were martyred,” and also reminding that the spokesman for the Al-Qassam militia pledged that price for any exchange deal would remain the same. Al Jazeera is known to be a mouthpiece for the Qatari government, which grants asylum to the leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas.
Fayez Al-Dwairi, another analyst for Al Jazeera known for his antisemitic comments and apologetics for Hamas, claimed to have information that Israel ‘could allegedly have carried out the operation with less casualties on the Gazan side but nevertheless decided to carry out a massacre,’ and pointed at the US, Canada and the UK as contributors to Israel’s gathering of intelligence.
He also added that “many of the Israeli forces were killed in the operation,” despite the IDF’s announcement that only one Israeli soldier had fallen, concluding that “what happened does not negate the Israeli military failure.”
Mahmoud Alhassanat, a Palestinian preacher residing in Turkey, expressed disappointment towards the operation, while promoting an extremely violent idea: “I demand that the resistance attach explosive belts to the prisoners (meaning hostages) and blow them up if they try to free them, while leaving them without food. You must realize that you are fighting Nazi Israel, not the Quraysh, and that the blood of a child in Gaza is more valuable and important than the blood of prisoners.”
Thaer Al-Sartawi, a Jordanian blogger, attempted to reduce the extent of the Israeli operation, adding: “The Army of the Scum of Nations, with the help of the criminal American Army, after more than 8 months, was able to free four prisoners held by the resistance! It would take them 20 years to free the remaining 120 prisoners! War is like a debate, you criminal killers, and it is a battle from which the Mujahideen (holy war fighters) have certainly learned a lesson and will benefit from it later and avoid it…”
Some users tried to imply that Israel and the US exploited humanitarian means such as the floating dock or aid trucks for the benefit of the operation. Such was “China in Arabic” a semi-formal account spreading messages aligned with the CCP in Arabic, which stressed at least twice the refuted reports regarding the involvement of the US’s floating dock, claiming that “Israeli special forces used the American pier in Gaza to storm Nuseirat and free the prisoners (meaning hostages), and it appears that there were American special forces.”
Other users focused on the alleged death toll of Gazans from the operation, denouncing the fact that the world media was focused on the hostages who were returned. Such was Palestinian caricaturist, who published a caricature showing the world looking at a TV screen showing the release of the hostages, while a Palestinian mother sits behind, weeping over dead bodies.
Another Saudi user named Omar Bin Abdelaziz uploaded an old video of Al-Qassam militants threatening the world, and wrote: “The world does not talk about the martyrs of Nuseirat, the world only talks about the 4 prisoners. This is a world that only knows the language of force.”
Likewise, a user named Tamer wrote: “Everyone is concerned with the liberation of the prisoners (meaning hostages) and their health condition, ignoring the scale of the disaster, the massacres, the destruction, and the remains of children as a result of this attack in the Nuseirat camp. We are the ones who gave value to the life of the Israelis and detracted from the value of our lives and the lives of our peoples. May they and their captives burn.”
Anti-Hamas users laud the operation
However, the alleged death toll was also used by anti-Hamas users to denounce Hamas’s choice to hide the hostages in crowded areas.
Anti-Hamas anonymous blogger Hoda Jannat, whose tweets went viral during the war for her exposures of Hamas’s bigotry and hypocrisy, also focused on the civilian setting of where the hostages were found, adding: “The hostages were freed from within a refugee camp. This means that Hamas hides the hostages in refugee camps. The hostages were located at a family’s home, meaning, Hamas is using the people of Gaza to hide them there. The hostages were in a place near a popular market, meaning, Hamas uses people as human shields. History has never known anyone more despicable and malicious than the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Likewise, Saudi journalist Ibrahim Al-Malik stressed Hamas’s placing of the hostages in civilian areas, adding: “They [Hamas] cry and the media channels lament with them over the killing of 180 Palestinians in the Nuseirat camp incident, during which 50 ISIS terrorist Hamas members were killed and 4 hostages were freed. Question: Who placed these hostages among the refugees and planted terrorist elements among them?? Wasn’t it Hamas?? Because of which, until now, thousands of innocent people have died and are dying!”
Other users contrasted between Hamas and Israel on the issue of the hostages. Majda Al-Haddad, a Yemeni born feminist activist based in the US, uploaded a video contrasting the celebrations in Israel when the hostages were released – with the celebrations in Gaza when hostages were kidnapped.
She then added: “That joy of October 7th, and this joy of returning the hostages. They are all human, but the difference is between those who glorify life and those who glorify death.”
Similarly, Sufian Al-Samarrai, an Iraqi writer and chairman of the online newspaper the Baghdad Post who opposes the Muslim Brotherhood and its tributary in Gaza Hamas, uploaded a video of released hostage Noa Argamani, adding: “This is the Jewish girl which made them [Hamas] praise the Lord and considered [her kidnapping] a victory from Allah. She returned home to her family, and they lost the negotiations and blackmail over the hostage issue. Terrorist Islamism has not won any battle despite the hundreds of billions that Qatar and Iran have pumped into them to ignite the region. You will fall and we will not.”
Lastly, some users lauded Israel and called to learn from its efforts to save Israeli citizens. Karim Gahin, head of an Austrian learning academy, lauded Israel for the operation and contrasted the situation in Arab countries and wrote in a viral tweet:
“This country is fighting a war on several fronts. It mobilized all its armies, military and security services, It mobilized all its material, political, military and economic power… All this for the sake of several citizens who were kidnapped and are currently being recovered. I swear to God There are those who say that we only have dignity… and then they die at the doors of their country’s embassy… They die drowning in the seas, on the roads, and in foreign countries, their utmost wish is for someone to find their body before it is eaten by stray dogs… Instead of hating Israel… Learn from them the meaning of dignity and ask the governments of your countries for the same thing.”
Finally, Loay Alshareef, pro-peace blogger originally from Saudi Arabia, congratulated the people of Israel, adding: “Israel is showing Hamas the true hand of God and the relentless power of King David. They’re coming home! Congrats to the citizens of Israel.”
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