Gazans deprived of attention, Hamas leaders live in luxury - The Hills Times

The conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues to escalate, with no light at the end of the tunnel yet.

The military wing of Hamas, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades, continues to fire homemade Qassam rockets at Israeli territories. In response to this chaos, which began on Saturday following the mutiny and kidnapping, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched military action that has attracted international attention.

Iranian terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, jihadist groups in Syria and, of course, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which also receives military support from Iran, continue to strike Israel.

To send a stern warning to Hezbollah, the Assad regime in Syria and especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, the US has moved an aircraft carrier and warships closer to Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier group includes the world's largest warship, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, as well as the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy and four Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers - USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) militant group Quds Force has long been involved in proxy wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran wants to issue a warning to Saudi Arabia and Israel about its hegemony in the Middle East.

Iran is one of Hamas's biggest sponsors. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran was not involved in the Hamas attack over the weekend. But he praised Israel's "irreparable" military and intelligence defeat.

Recently restored Iranian diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia have raised skepticism about Iranian motives for waging proxy wars in the region. Iran's Quds Force has trained and armed Husit rebels in Yemen, attacked military installations, oil storage facilities and refineries.

Iran has long favored the destruction of Israel and has strong allies Hezbollah and Hamas. These armed groups are funded, supplied with weapons, and trained in military technology to create homemade missiles with precise targets. They are also providing Hezbollah and Hamas with satellite images of the IDF and their military equipment deployment in the region.

Israel continues to retaliate against the Gaza Strip, mobilizing 360,000 reservists and regaining control of areas attacked by Hamas in the south and along the Gaza border.

The Israeli military action in the region has destroyed entire neighborhoods and demolished homes. Hospitals and morgues were overcrowded, Indian TV journalist Palki Sharma reported from the Gaza border area.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on parties to the conflict to allow access for urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians trapped and defenseless in the Gaza Strip.

The UN secretary stressed that he recognizes the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, but nothing can justify acts of terror, killing, maiming and kidnapping of civilians. He also called for an immediate end to the attacks and the release of all hostages.

Guterres reminded Israel that its military operations must be conducted in strict compliance with international humanitarian law.

In response to UN appeals, Egypt and Qatar are attempting to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to reduce casualties and suffering in Gaza, according to media reports. The ceasefire should stop the destruction of Gaza City. Will Hamas stop shelling and incursions against Israel?

On the other hand, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh famously declared that he would live on "zeit wa zaatar" - olive oil and dried herbs - after he led the Islamic armed faction to victory in Palestinian elections in 2006.

The election ousted the peaceful Al-Fatah, the dominant group in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) founded by Yasser Arafat. Hamas militants captured Al-Fatah's headquarters and took control of the Gaza Strip, which has an area of 365 square kilometers and a population of two million Palestinians.

Hamas has since held political control of the area as the de facto government and implemented strict Islamic laws based on strict Sharia.

HAMAS has never recognized PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian authority in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and instead disputes its legitimacy in governing Gaza. Since then, Gaza has been under the control of Hamas, which also supports the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), one of the most violent armed groups.

With Hamas in control of Gaza and al-Fatah in control of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, there have been two de facto governments in the Palestinian territories, each claiming legitimacy as the government of the Palestinian Authority.

HAMAS was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a radical Palestinian cleric who became an activist in the Muslim Brotherhood after devoting his early life to Islamic education in Cairo.

In 1988, Hamas published its charter, which demanded the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic society in historic Palestine.

Since Ismail Haniyeh left destitute Gaza in 2019 along with some Hamas leaders, he has been living in luxury, spending his time between Turkey and Qatar and traveling with a Turkish passport. Haniyeh has yet to return.

The Hamas leaders live in hotels and travel on private jets, their sons hold high positions in sports and real estate in Gaza. One of his sons is known as the "Father of Real Estate".

Akram Atallah, a longtime columnist for Al-Ayyam newspaper in the West Bank, moved from Gaza to London in 2019. He said that Hamas, when criticized for lacking basic services, says it is a resistance group; when criticized for imposing taxes, it says it is a legitimate government.

Although Gazans complain in private, they hesitate to speak out openly against Hamas, which has a history of imprisoning critics for harsh punishment. Hamas also suppresses Gazan media, civil activism on social media, political opposition and nongovernmental organizations, according to Freedom House.