For Hamas, No Lives Matter

For years, anyone with a modicum of interest in understanding the Israel-Palestinian conflict recognized that Hamas had no care for the lives of innocent people on both sides of the conflict. Amongst Hamas’s most horrific tactics is using innocent Palestinians as human shields. And for Hamas, the more innocent the victim of their cowardice, the better.

That is why Palestinian terrorists are not content to simply operate out of civilian population centres, rather they intentionally choose schools, hospitals, and similar facilities for their rocket launch sites in an effort to maximize the pain this conflict brings to Palestinians. Likewise, when Hamas launches rockets into Israel, it does not aim for military targets, it aims for Israeli civilians in an effort to maximise the pain to Israel. Indeed, during the 7 October massacre, Hamas’s aim was to murder and destroy as many Israeli civilian lives as they possibly could.

Hamas’s indifference to Palestinian suffering and glee at the suffering of all others permeates every element of their governance of the Gaza Strip and their war on the Jewish people.

This is why it’s such a hard task for Israel to negotiate a ceasefire with them. Israel’s government is desperately trying to free their hostages, but Hamas will not play ball. They continue their unreasonable demands, while Israel continues to be blamed by the world. Just as the responsibility for casualties in this war lies squarely at Hamas’s feet, so does the failure of a negotiated ceasefire.

Last week the media was flooded with coverage of a humanitarian convoy that entered northern Gaza and chaos ensued. Thousands of Palestinians converged on the trucks, likely fearful that Hamas would steal the aid before it could get to the people. Sadly, dozens of people were trampled, with some even being killed. Away from the crowd, a squad of military-aged males (likely terrorists) aggressively moved toward the lead truck, ignored warning shots from soldiers, and were killed. An IDF investigation revealed that IDF forces did not fire at the aid convoy. The only Palestinians killed by Israeli forces were this small group, less than a dozen. The majority of those who died in this incident were crushed to death in a stampede for aid. Therefore, the ensuing events are on Hamas, not Israel. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) articulated it best when he tweeted, “Hamas owns this calamity.”

It should be noted that Israel was the one bringing in aid to help Palestinians at that time. Israel was helping Palestinian civilians while Hamas exploited the situation.

Hamas does not care about anyone. When Hamas entered Israel, their only aim was to kill as many Jews as possible. When Hamas attacks Israel from within Palestinian civilian populations, their only aim is to maximise the number of Palestinians killed by Israel. When Hamas prolongs the war by refusing to surrender, they maximise the suffering of Palestinians for their own selfish aims. When Hamas terrorists hijack aid trucks entering Gaza, they exacerbate the humanitarian crisis of their own people. When Hamas refuses to release Israeli civilians who have been held hostage in Gaza for over 153 days, they extend their victims suffering and that of Israeli families waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.

Hamas is a terrorist organisation without an ounce of compassion or moral decency. Everything Hamas does brings misery and suffering, both to Israel and to their own people.

For Hamas, no lives matter.