Weaponizing Despair: ‘Israel’ Attempts to Turn Gaza Against the Resistance
The occupation quickly portrayed the demonstrations in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, over the past two days as targeting the Hamas movement. In reality, these protests neither oppose Hamas nor represent a setback for the movement, which focuses solely on liberation. This situation reflects varying levels of endurance typical in all liberation wars, especially with such a heavy toll. Gaza faces unprecedented devastation under an occupation wielding the world’s most lethal weapons, committing atrocious crimes without hesitation, and receiving open support from dominant powers, especially the United States.
Thousands of Gazans demonstrated in Beit Lahia, demanding an end to the war and the elimination of what they termed “pretexts that prolong the conflict.” Both youth and elderly protesters carried handwritten banners declaring: “We refuse to die,” “Our children’s blood is not cheap,” and “Stop the war… enough is enough.” This scene unfolded in a city where the occupation army has destroyed 90% of homes and recently ordered residents to evacuate from their tent encampments. The occupation forces and allied Arab media eagerly exploited these images, broadcasting repeated mobile phone footage of a few frustrated citizens calling for “Hamas” to withdraw “to preserve what remains and spare innocent blood.”
While these voices do not represent the majority sentiment, they remain part of Gaza’s social fabric—a diverse community with varying capacities to endure hardship. The population has endured extreme pressure recently while facing continuous displacement, siege, and starvation that deny any chance for stability. The renewed fighting has inflicted psychological and moral trauma on many Gazans who believed that they had survived the worst genocide of the twenty-first century.
Under such circumstances, Gazans deserve understanding when expressing their anguish in whatever words they choose. Since the war began, the occupation army has consistently tried to exploit this suffering, supported by a coordinated media apparatus that reinforces the narrative justifying mass killings, unjust siege, and forced displacement. The campaign to blame Hamas and the resistance for Gaza’s destruction extends beyond traditional media, Israeli commentators, and political statements. Arabic-speaking enemy soldiers deliberately taunt residents during displacement operations with phrases like: “This is what Sinwar wants,” “Sorry for what happened to you, but Sinwar is happy,” and “Hamas has devastated Gaza.” Occupation forces also systematically vandalize homes they enter by writing anti-Hamas and anti-resistance slogans on walls.
The occupation employs more than just media pressure and psychological warfare. The occupation authorities actively block Hamas and resistance factions from taking steps to alleviate civilian suffering in the aftermath of war. They prevent the entry of essential humanitarian aid agreed upon in the ceasefire protocols, including mobile homes, tents, and electrical generators. The financial blockade further cripples the resistance groups’ ability to mount an emergency response matching the scale of the catastrophe. The occupation entity treats these developments as a strategic victory. Netanyahu gleefully highlighted the demonstrations, while his War Minister Yisrael Katz urged all Gazans to follow Beit Lahia’s example.
But does reality match this portrayal? Gazans universally reject being characterized as implementing the occupation’s agenda or serving as its ground-level pawns. The Beit Lahia protesters’ hearts are scarred by war. Among them stands a man from the Barawi family, who lost 100 relatives to the occupation’s massacres. He declared, “We do not belong to any faction, and we are not against the resistance. Previously, if one of us died a natural death, we would mourn for months. Today, we ask everyone to make concessions to stop the war, even if it means some must leave the scene.” Abu Muhammad Al-Masri, interviewed by Al-Akhbar, clarified, “We have a long vendetta with the occupation, and no one should think we are turning against anyone—our vendetta is with the occupation only. But we need a little life, a little calm, to tend to our wounds. Is that too much to ask?”
(Al-Akhbar) by Yousef Fares
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/DZ/SC
Yousef Fares
Yousef Fares is a Palestinian reporter in Gaza. He is an author at Al-Akhbar News and he regularly posts updates on his telegram channel.