The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked demonstrations the world over. Even as Israel’s counter-offensive targets Hamas terrorists and terror infrastructure in Gaza, Hamas sympathisers have received blatant support from pro-Palestine rallies across countries. Safe to say that Hamas is not working in isolation and has garnered increasing support from Palestinian Authorities as well as civilians.
Survey conducted after 11-day war in 2021 reveals how Palestinians viewed Hamas as winners against Israel
A survey released in 2021 found that Palestinian support for Hamas had risen dramatically following the Gaza war in May of that year. A scientific poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that around three-quarters of Palestinians viewed Hamas terrorists as victors in a battle against Israel.
The poll reportedly found that 53 per cent of Palestinians believe that Hamas is “most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people”. In April 2021, Palestinian protesters clashed with the Israeli police on a nightly basis in east Jerusalem to protest the restrictions on public gatherings during Ramadan.
About a month after the clashes, Hamas launched long-range rockets at Jerusalem on 10th May which led to an 11-day war. The poll found that 77 per cent of Palestinians believed that Hamas was the winner. Many Palestinians reportedly said that Hamas fought the war to defend Jerusalem and its holy sites.
Survey in 2019 showed 41% Palestinians would vote for a Hamas terrorist for President if elections were held
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) conducted a survey of 1,270 Palestinians in 127 randomly selected locations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between 13-16 March 2019.
The Survey showed that if Palestinian presidential elections were to be held between President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, 41 per cent of Palestinians would vote for Haniyeh. 48 per cent of Palestinians expressed support for a two-state solution.
Palestinians would have lent overwhelming support to Hamas terrorist Ismail Haniyeh for President if polls were held in December 2018
In a similar survey conducted in 2018 by The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), when asked who they would support, 49 per cent of Palestinians said they would vote for Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh for President.
Polls show 57% of civilians in Gaza perceive Hamas in positive light
A more recent data published by the Washington Institute on 10th October – three days after the terrorist attacks – claims that 57 per cent of Gazans express a positive opinion of Hamas along with similar percentages of Palestinians in the West Bank (52%) and East Jerusalem (64%).
Survey released in June 2023 shows how Palestinians are defensive for Hamas even against their own Palestinian Authority
Palestinian Center for Policy and and Survey Research revealed that 86 per cent of Palestinians believed that the Palestinian Authority has no right to act against the members of Hamas while 80% of the respondents said they were opposed to the members of the armed groups handing themselves over to the PA.
Data from June 2023, according to Israel Today, reveals that “Palestinian public opinion continues to approve of terror against Israel”. A whopping 71 per cent of Palestinians expressed their backing for terrorist groups, reportedly believing that they should operate independently without supervision or intervention from the Palestinian Authority.
70 per cent Palestinians opposed the two-state solution and 52 per cent viewed the armed struggle in Israel as the most effective means of ending the so-called “Israeli occupation”.
Palestinians and Pro-Palestinians seen supporting Hamas openly amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has exposed this very support by Palestinians for the terrorist group. A report by USA Today shows how Palestinians have used Israeli retaliation and self-defence as an excuse to support Hamas and its terror activities.
An excerpt from the report reads, “On Tuesday, Hamas blamed Israel for an airstrike on a hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people. And because of this, their own rough treatment at the hands of Israeli authorities and their long, violent and bitter shared history with the country, Palestinians like Farhat and others in the wider community are finding it hard to denounce the attacks on Israel even though they say they don’t approve of violence against civilians.”
The report goes on to quote a Palestinian man as saying, “Killing anybody is wrong. But imagine you live somewhere and I come and lock you in your house. I control everything that comes in and out of your house. Occasionally, I come and beat you up. Eventually, you’re going to resist and start fighting back with whatever you have,” he said. That’s what’s happening (with the Hamas attacks).”
A report by The Times of Israel quoted a Palestinian man saying, “I was pleased by what Hamas did,” further adding that he feared the scale of “Israeli crimes in Gaza” in retaliation. That terrorism by Hamas is being celebrated openly by Palestinians and Israel’s response is being termed criminal shows that Hamas is dwelling on the support from Palestinians.
Another report by Global News reveals how Palestinians in the West Bank’s Ramallah chanted slogans during protests backing Hamas. “Who is protecting us? Qassam!” the terrorist sympathisers chanted, referring to Al-Qassan Brigades which is the armed wing of Hamas that led the 7th October attacks.
People who are pro-Palestine took to the streets to celebrate the terrorist attack by Hamas. Even Palestinian authorities, which the Western media often pits as a separate, well-meaning entity than Hamas, have spoken the same language as Hamas for Jews and Israel. A Palestinian official quoted by The Times of Israel said that the Hamas attack was a “natural reaction to the crimes committed by Israel”.
On 18th October, the Palestinian Authority, in outright support to Hamas, issued a one-page document to imams of mosques laying down directives for Friday (Jummah) sermons. The document contained an Islamic verse which calls for the murder of all Jews by Muslims.
Palestine and Hamas flags and banners were displayed in cities that saw demonstrations against Israel. In fact, videos doing rounds online show several in Gaza, too, celebrating the 7th October slaughter of Israelis by the terrorists.
But as soon as Israel began retaliating in Gaza, Hamas supporters quickly spun the “Free Palestine” narrative, a narrative that has not been contested by Palestinians staging demonstrations. This comes even as Israel has only been targeting the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza where humans and residential spaces are being used as human shields.
More than 1,400 Israelis were butchered by Hamas on 7th October where as thousands of civilians have died in Gaza where the terrorist group has been using civilians as human shields.
