Israel-Hamas Thread II

A new UN report debunks one of the most convenient narratives about Gaza: Hamas is not only a terrorist organization targeting Israel, but also a brutal repressive apparatus targeting "Palestinians". According to the UN Human Rights Office, hundreds of cases of extrajudicial punishment were documented between Aug 2024 and Jan 2026. These included public executions, shooting people in the legs, breaking bones with metal rods or cement blocks, and severe mistreatment.

The UN commission recorded 249 cases, including 108 deaths. In nearly a quarter of the cases, forces affiliated with Hamas or police units are said to have been involved; other cases were attributed to other armed groups. The victims were mostly accused of collaborating with Israel, stealing humanitarian aid, drug trafficking, or having ties to internal "Palestinian" rivals. According to the report, due process, independent courts, or a fair defense played no discernible role.

The documented public executions are particularly shocking. Among other things, the UN cites the shooting of three bound men in front of Shifa Hospital in Sep 2025, as well as another execution in Oct, in which eight men were reportedly dragged to a square in Gaza City and shot. The Commission classifies such acts as murder, a violation of international humanitarian law, and war crimes.

The report thus confirms what Israel has been emphasizing for years: Gaza is not merely a theater of war against Israel. Gaza is also an area where Hamas rules through violence, fear, and public humiliation. Anyone who opposes it, who is considered a traitor, or who is associated with a rival group can become a target themselves. Children are also said to have been subjected to public punishments.

Politically, the report is particularly important because it comes from within the UN system itself. Precisely those international voices that immediately seize upon UN criticism of Israel must now also take these findings seriously. Those who loudly lament "Palestinian" suffering only when Israel can be held responsible are not acting in accordance with human rights, but selectively. A "Palestinian" who is tortured or shot by Hamas forces is no less a victim simply because Israel is not the perpetrator.

Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007, after it forcibly ousted the PA. Since then, it has ruled not as a normal political force, but as an armed terrorist regime. The massacre of Oct 7, 2023, revealed its violence toward the outside world. The new UN report reveals its violence against its own people. The two go hand in hand: An organization that massacres Israeli families, abducts hostages, and uses civilians as human shields does not treat its own population as free citizens either.

The report also mentions that, according to witness accounts, punishments are said to have taken place on hospital grounds, including at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis. Israel has long accused Hamas of misusing civilian sites such as hospitals, schools, and mosques for military or operational purposes. The UN report does not replace a full military assessment of individual facilities, but it demonstrates once again how deeply armed structures have penetrated Gaza’s civilian spaces.

Anyone who talks about Gaza while ignoring Hamas is misrepresenting reality. The people of Gaza suffer not only from war, destruction, and hardship. They also suffer under a terrorist organization that controls them, intimidates them, and publicly punishes them when necessary.

The report is therefore a warning to the media, politicians, and activists: "Palestinian" lives must not only matter when they can be used against Israel. Anyone who truly wants to speak for the people of Gaza must call Hamas out by name. There can be no future for Gaza as long as this organization continues to control police forces, local administration, aid supplies, or security structures.

The liberation of Gaza from Hamas is therefore not merely an Israeli security interest. It is also a "Palestinian" necessity. As long as Hamas rules, Gaza remains a place of fear. Not only because of the war. But because of the men who, in the name of Hamas, judge, beat, maim, and kill.

Talks on Gaza are continuing, but hopes for a genuine breakthrough are fading. According to a report in The Times of Israel, Hamas representatives took part in talks in Cairo this week regarding a possible disarmament. However, despite some progress, mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey see little chance of reaching a comprehensive agreement before the Israeli election this fall. The reason is not only Hamas, which refuses to surrender its weapons. It is also the Israeli election campaign, which is leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with less and less room to maneuver regarding a withdrawal from Gaza.

The framework for the talks is the 20-point plan presented by US President Donald Trump to end the Gaza war. Implementation rests with the US-led Board of Peace, whose Gaza envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, has made it clear on several occasions in recent months that the disarmament of Hamas is to be the core of the second phase. Without this disarmament, the plan states that there can be no reconstruction and no new order in Gaza. The entire process hinges precisely on this.

For months, Hamas has been trying to reverse the order of the phases. It argues that Israel itself has failed to fulfill its obligations under the first phase: providing more humanitarian aid, withdrawing to agreed-upon lines, opening key border crossings, and ending attacks. Therefore, it cannot be expected to implement the second phase just yet. Mladenov counters that Israel can only be persuaded to take further steps if Hamas seriously commits to disarmament. That is the central sticking point: Hamas demands concessions first. Israel demands disarmament. The mediators are trying to squeeze both into a system of reciprocal steps.

According to the report, the Board of Peace’s 15-point disarmament plan envisions a step-by-step process. Where Hamas surrenders its weapons, Israel is to withdraw. This principle of reciprocity sounds diplomatically sound, but in reality it is highly risky. Israel is supposed to evacuate areas while having to trust that a terrorist organization will not simply hide, relocate, or transfer its weapons to other armed groups. Hamas is supposed to hand over weapons while fearing that it will be weakened afterward by rivals or Israel. This is precisely why the process is barely moving forward.

The establishment of a new police force for Gaza is particularly contentious. The Board of Peace wants to train forces to replace Hamas in maintaining internal security. To this end, recruits are to leave Gaza and undergo training in Egypt. The mediators want Israel to commit to allowing these forces to return afterward. Israel is said to have initially signaled its willingness to do so, but is now linking progress more strongly to Hamas’s prior approval of the disarmament plan. The entry of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a body of "Palestinian" technocrats intended to take over the administration, also remains controversial.

This highlights the full difficulty of any post-war order in Gaza. Who will provide security if Hamas is disarmed? Who will guarantee that new police forces are not infiltrated? Who will protect technocrats from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or rival clans? And who will guarantee Israel that a new administration will not merely serve as a civilian cover for old terrorist structures? These questions are not merely bureaucratic. They determine whether Gaza will truly be different after the war or whether Hamas is merely buying time.

A US official rejected the claim that Israel is the main obstacle. Netanyahu has agreed to extended ceasefires on several occasions in recent months to give Hamas time to respond to proposals. However, the terrorist organization has hesitated and dragged its feet. That, too, is part of the truth. Hamas has ruled Gaza by force since 2007; it started the war with the massacre on Oct 7; it clings to its weapons and has shown no credible interest in accepting Israel as a sovereign Jewish state. A plan that hinges on its voluntary disarmament is therefore built on shaky ground from the start.

Nevertheless, mediators and the US side apparently still believe that Hamas can be pressured into accepting a disarmament plan. To this end, the mediators are attempting to involve other armed Palestinian groups as well. They are expected to accept that Hamas makes a decision and agree not to take action against Hamas members if they make concessions regarding their weapons. This logic alone shows how unstable the situation is: a terrorist organization needs protection from other armed groups in order to even consider disarmament.

For Israel, the standard is clear: Gaza must not be allowed to become a terrorist base again. Every new administration, every police force, every reconstruction effort, and every withdrawal must serve this goal. Hamas must not appear to be disarmed while hiding weapons. It must not disappear politically while its people control local structures. And it must not return through aid organizations, the police, clans, or shadow networks. It is precisely this concern that explains Israel’s tough stance, even if it is often portrayed internationally as an obstacle to the peace process.

The coming months will therefore be decisive. If Hamas does not disarm, the pressure must be ramped up. If reconstruction begins, it must not serve to stabilize Hamas. And if the US wants to lead the process, it must do more than simply urge both sides to engage in talks. It must establish guarantees that provide Israel with security and block Hamas’s path back to armed conflict.

Until then, Gaza remains in the most dangerous of all situations: not war as before, not peace, not a genuine post-war order. It is precisely in such liminal spaces that terrorist organizations thrive.

It has become increasingly clear to everyone dealing with Hamas that the IDF is the only army willing and able to disarm and destroy them. It was just about to do so when Trump’s ceasefire plan stopped it. It was recently reported that he, his peace board, and Israel essentially agree that the IDF must have the opportunity to finish the job. If this report is true, it is a wonderful answer to prayer.

Almighty G-d, may Your divine will prevail regarding Gaza (Ps 33:10-11; Prov 21:30).

Lord G-d, if the war with Hamas is not won until Israel commits to recapturing all of Gaza, then work on the new government team and the majority of Israelis so that they agree to do exactly that (Neh 2:20).

G-d of Jacob, fulfill Malachi 1:4, and whatever Esau/Edom (the spiritual roots of Islam) attempts to build in Gaza, or anywhere else in Your land, rise up and bring it down (Isa 34:5; 63:1–6).

Almighty G-d, let the pride of Hamas lead them to destruction (2 Sam 22:28b; Prov 16:18).

Thank You, Lord, that the IDF is destroying the terror tunnels in the area of Gaza they now control (more than 60%), finding weapons caches, and neutralizing Hamas terrorists (Job 12:22; Ps 95:4; 139:12).

Commander of the heavenly hosts, strengthen Your protection over the IDF soldiers in Gaza against attacks, booby traps, kidnapping attempts, accidents, and friendly fire (Ps 32:7; 121:4).

Lord, we rejoice that tens of thousands of "Palestinians" have already left Gaza, and we ask that its gates remain wide open for the rest (Isa 60:12; Jer 12:17).

Abba, let Iran’s financial crisis severely damage the finances of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Prov 11:4a).

King Jesus, let Your light shine through the believers in Gaza, so that many Muslims may be drawn to You (Mt 5:16).

Benaiah468 said:

It has become increasingly clear to everyone dealing with Hamas that the IDF is the only army willing and able to disarm and destroy them. It was just about to do so when Trump’s ceasefire plan stopped it. It was recently reported that he, his peace board, and Israel essentially agree that the IDF must have the opportunity to finish the job. If this report is true, it is a wonderful answer to prayer.

Almighty G-d, may Your divine will prevail regarding Gaza (Ps 33:10-11; Prov 21:30).

Lord G-d, if the war with Hamas is not won until Israel commits to recapturing all of Gaza, then work on the new government team and the majority of Israelis so that they agree to do exactly that (Neh 2:20).

G-d of Jacob, fulfill Malachi 1:4, and whatever Esau/Edom (the spiritual roots of Islam) attempts to build in Gaza, or anywhere else in Your land, rise up and bring it down (Isa 34:5; 63:1–6).

Almighty G-d, let the pride of Hamas lead them to destruction (2 Sam 22:28b; Prov 16:18).

Thank You, Lord, that the IDF is destroying the terror tunnels in the area of Gaza they now control (more than 60%), finding weapons caches, and neutralizing Hamas terrorists (Job 12:22; Ps 95:4; 139:12).

Commander of the heavenly hosts, strengthen Your protection over the IDF soldiers in Gaza against attacks, booby traps, kidnapping attempts, accidents, and friendly fire (Ps 32:7; 121:4).

Lord, we rejoice that tens of thousands of "Palestinians" have already left Gaza, and we ask that its gates remain wide open for the rest (Isa 60:12; Jer 12:17).

Abba, let Iran’s financial crisis severely damage the finances of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Prov 11:4a).

King Jesus, let Your light shine through the believers in Gaza, so that many Muslims may be drawn to You (Mt 5:16).

Click to expand...

While you are praying, include the 62,000 Palestinians that Israel killed, amongst them,20,000 children.
And also pray that God would bless and strengthen the IDF as they rape, pillage, displace and kill Palestinians in the West Bank.

Aussie52 said:

While you are praying, include the 62,000 Palestinians that Israel killed, amongst them,20,000 children.
And also pray that God would bless and strengthen the IDF as they rape, pillage, displace and kill Palestinians in the West Bank.

Click to expand...

Opinions may differ regarding political and military strategy in the Middle East, but accusing an entire army of systematic crimes does not lead to an objective discussion.

My prayer expresses a clear intention. It is for the protection of soldiers, the defeat of Hamas’s terror, and the establishment of justice, not for the suffering of civilians. The Bible teaches us to pray for victory over evil and for the protection of those who fight against terror
(2 Sam 22:28).

The concerns you mentioned regarding injustice and violence are already included in the prayer. The prophetic context in Isaiah clearly shows that G-d is a G-d of vengeance in the dispute over Zion, and His judgment strikes the powers that seek to destroy Israel
(Isa 34:5 .8). At the same time, however, He is a holy G-d before whose face no human wrongdoing goes unpunished. By praying that His will be done, we entrust the final judgment to Him: He will break evil powers such as Hamas, but He sees, hears, and judges every injustice on this earth with absolute infallibility in stark contrast to us humans, who often perceive things only selectively.

Praying for His will therefore automatically entails the exposure and end of all injustice. It never involves taking pleasure in the suffering of the innocent, for every human being is created in His image. I therefore pray specifically that Muslims in Gaza may find peace and salvation through Jesus Christ, as I wrote in my post.

Ottawa promises new aid for the "Palestinians". At the same time, UNRWA is laying off 70 employees in Gaza, and US auditors are reporting serious allegations by Hamas against more than 100 people.

Canada wants to help. At first glance, that sounds right, humane, and hard to criticize. Civilians need food, water, medical care, shelter, and reliable aid. But this is precisely where the problem begins. Aid in the Gaza Strip is never just aid if the channels through which it flows are not properly monitored. It can save lives. But it can also end up in an environment where Hamas has for years exploited civilian suffering, international organizations, and humanitarian infrastructure for its own power agenda.

Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced in Paris an additional $100 million in international aid for the "Palestinians". According to the Canadian government, the funds will be channeled through the UN, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, and nongovernmental organizations. This brings Canada’s total aid since the start of the war to more than $500 million.

Ottawa speaks of emergency medical aid, food, water, sanitation, shelter, protection, and stabilization. These are all legitimate goals.

Nevertheless, the timing seems politically troubling. Just a few days earlier, UNRWA had confirmed that it had laid off 70 employees in Gaza. The organization explained that the move was intended to ensure the safety of its operations and the people it assists. At the same time, UNRWA emphasized that the layoffs were not an acknowledgment of Israeli allegations and were not part of any disciplinary proceedings. It is precisely this mixed message that has been characteristic of the UNRWA problem for years: the organization concedes enough to ease pressure but avoids taking clear responsibility.

Even more serious is the report by the USAID Inspector General. The American auditors referred 101 current or former UNRWA employees to the US State Department so that their suspension or exclusion from future work on US-funded aid projects could be reviewed. The allegations concern involvement in the massacre of Oct 7, 2023, or ties to the military wing of Hamas. The list compiled by the USAID office does not rely on vague suspicions from social media. Those named include, among others, school principals, teachers, security personnel, advisors, and medical staff. Some are said to have held positions within Hamas structures.

This comes as no surprise to Israel. Jerusalem has been warning for years that UNRWA in the Gaza Strip is not merely a humanitarian actor but part of a problem that prolongs the conflict and blurs the lines between aid, education, propaganda, and a terrorist environment. After Oct 7, these warnings became even more dire. Israel has repeatedly presented evidence that, according to the Israeli account, is intended to prove links between individual UNRWA employees and terrorist organizations, the use of UNRWA infrastructure, and involvement in the Hamas attack. UNRWA denies many of the allegations or demands further evidence. But the dismissal of 70 employees and the US investigations show that the issue can no longer be dismissed as an Israeli campaign.

That is precisely why it is not enough for Western governments to announce new aid packages while speaking only in general terms about trustworthy partners. Trust must be rebuilt after Oct 7. It is not enough to pour money into an aid system and then hope that everything will end up in the right hands. Anyone releasing millions must openly state which organizations will receive the funds, what oversight mechanisms are in place, how personnel are vetted, and how we prevent individuals with ties to Hamas from simply moving from one organization to the next.

Canada is not alone in this. Many Western nations want to provide humanitarian aid without coming under political suspicion of indirectly propping up terrorist structures. This tension is real. But it must not be downplayed at the expense of Israel or Jewish security. Hamas started the war on Oct 7 with a massacre. It has abducted hostages, militarized civilian areas, and forced its own population to serve as human shields in a system where every instance of suffering is exploited for propaganda. Anyone providing aid under such conditions must scrutinize more closely, not more leniently.

Ottawa can argue that the money does not simply go to UNRWA, but is distributed among several partners. That is important. But the key question remains: What role do UN structures play in the Gaza Strip when, even at UNRWA, dozens of staff members have once again been forced to leave, and American auditors have reported more than 100 individuals with ties to Hamas and the events of Oct 7? This is precisely the question that Canadian taxpayers, Jewish communities in Canada, and the Israeli government must be allowed to ask.

Humanitarian aid and security oversight are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary. Aid that seeps into Hamas-affiliated networks first and foremost harms the civilians it is supposed to serve. It strengthens the wrong forces, prolongs dependencies, and undermines trust in any international support. Anyone who wants to help Gaza must weaken Hamas. Anything else is well-intentioned but dangerous.

Canada’s new millions are therefore not the scandal in and of themselves. The scandal would be if they were disbursed without drawing hard-hitting lessons from the UNRWA failure. After Oct 7, no one can claim they didn’t know. The warnings are on the table. The dismissals are on the table. The American audit reports are on the table. Now it is up to Ottawa to prove that aid to "Palestinians" will not serve to prop up the very structures that have been holding Israel and its own population in the Gaza Strip hostage for years.

Turkish supporters of the Global Sumud Flotilla are preparing a new mission to Gaza. According to activist Behesti Ismail Songur, president of the Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association and a member of the flotilla’s leadership, more ships and more international participants are expected to set sail in the coming months than on the voyages this spring. The goal is stated openly: The activists want to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

This makes the political nature of the action clear from the outset. This flotilla is not a quiet aid delivery, but a planned PR stunt. It needs cameras, flags, activists, dramatic images, and, ideally, the moment when Israeli soldiers stop the ships. That very moment is the real purpose. The organizers know that Israel will not allow a breach of the naval blockade. They are counting on this necessary security measure to spark international outrage.

For Israel, the naval blockade is not a symbol, but a means of protection. Gaza is controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas. From Israel’s perspective, an uncontrolled sea route could facilitate not only the delivery of aid but also weapons, technical components, financial networks, and equipment for armed groups. Those who truly wish only to deliver humanitarian aid can use controlled routes. But those who explicitly seek to break the blockade are not merely seeking aid for Gaza, they are seeking direct confrontation with Israel.

That is precisely why it is crucial to know who is behind this operation. The new mission originates from the Mavi Marmara and the Turkish IHH. The IHH describes itself as a humanitarian aid organization and points to its international recognition, including its special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. However, this status does not address the security issue. Israel has classified the Turkish IHH as problematic for years, citing alleged ties between individual IHH actors and Hamas or other Islamist groups. The IHH rejects such allegations and presents its work as humanitarian.

It is precisely this contrast that must remain evident in the article. The flotilla does not come from a neutral space. It is part of a political tradition that, since the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, has deliberately sought confrontation. At that time, activists attempted to break the Israeli blockade. When Israeli commandos boarded the ship, violent clashes broke out, and ten Turkish activists were killed. Since then, the Mavi Marmara has served as a symbol. Every new voyage builds on this legacy: activists against Israel, imagery pitted against security interests, and moral posturing against military reality.

The situation in Germany also illustrates just how sensitive the name IHH is. In Germany, the organization Internationale Humanitäre Hilfsorganisation e. V. was banned in 2010. The Federal Administrative Court later upheld the legality of the ban. According to the court’s findings, the organization had, over an extended period, channeled donations to social welfare organizations in the Gaza Strip that were considered part of the broader Hamas structure. The court noted that such support could strengthen Hamas’s acceptance and facilitate its recruitment efforts.

It is important to make a clear distinction here: The German ban applied to the German IHH association, not to every structure of the Turkish foundation across the board. Politically, however, the connection is nonetheless significant. It shows how, under the guise of humanitarian aid, structures can be targeted that Israel views as a direct threat. This is precisely why it is not enough to describe the new flotilla as a harmless solidarity voyage.

Moreover, the dispute is not merely historical. As recently as May 2026, Israel’s Coordination Office for Government Activities in the Territories called on the United Nations World Food Program to cease all support for IHH in Gaza. According to Israel, fuel had been passed on to the organization. Here, too, two interpretations clash: IHH speaks of humanitarian aid, while Israel sees a security-related network in an area controlled by Hamas.

The planned flotilla must therefore be identified from the outset for what it is: a political PR campaign against Israel. Its aim is not merely to sail to Gaza, but to turn Israel’s security decision into an international indictment. Anyone who ignores the role of IHH, the background to the Mavi Marmara incident, and Israel’s security concerns is simply accepting the organizers’ own narrative. The whole story is quite different: a new flotilla emerging from a politically charged environment is seeking confrontation with Israel and calling it aid.

Pediatric doctor describes Israeli raid at hospital

Click to expand...

After five harrowing days under siege by Israeli tanks and snipers, Hussam Abu Safiya watched from inside as Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

“As we speak, bulldozers are demolishing the hospital wall,” he said

Click to expand...

essentialsaltes said:

Israeli forces on Thursday attacked Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, health officials said Thursday, amid growing concern over the humanitarian situation in the north.

The attack injured four medical staffers and rendered the hospital’s dialysis unit out of service, the hospital’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya, told The Washington Post.

Click to expand...

Those stories from 2023 and 2024.

'When am I going home?' Prominent Palestinian doctor detained in Israel for nearly 16 months without charges​

Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been held in Israel for more than 500 days. No formal charges have been filed against him and no trial has been held.

"Hussam Abu Safiya was apprehended for suspected involvement in terrorist activities, and for holding a rank in the Hamas terror organization, while hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were hiding inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital under his management," the IDF told ABC News in a statement.

The doctor, his family and advocates have denied he is a member of Hamas or that he has engaged in terrorist activities.

Over 14 months, Safiya -- a pediatrician by training -- became one of the most prominent voices in Gaza, speaking out on social media about the strip's collapsing healthcare system.

At least 15 Palestinian healthcare workers, including Abu Safiya, are currently being held inside Israel, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), a nonprofit human rights organization partly representing Abu Safiya. Some human rights experts have said that detaining such a high-ranking and high-profile doctor has left a chilling effect.

Since his arrest, Abu Safiya has not been allowed contact with his family, according to Elyas. He only has intermittent communication with his legal representation, Elyas said.

Last week, Abu Safiya appeared by video link for a hearing before the Israel Supreme Court in Jerusalem to appeal his detention. [He was denied.]

essentialsaltes said:

​

Those stories from 2023 and 2024.

'When am I going home?' Prominent Palestinian doctor detained in Israel for nearly 16 months without charges​

Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been held in Israel for more than 500 days. No formal charges have been filed against him and no trial has been held.

"Hussam Abu Safiya was apprehended for suspected involvement in terrorist activities, and for holding a rank in the Hamas terror organization, while hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were hiding inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital under his management," the IDF told ABC News in a statement.

The doctor, his family and advocates have denied he is a member of Hamas or that he has engaged in terrorist activities.

Over 14 months, Safiya -- a pediatrician by training -- became one of the most prominent voices in Gaza, speaking out on social media about the strip's collapsing healthcare system.

At least 15 Palestinian healthcare workers, including Abu Safiya, are currently being held inside Israel, according to Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), a nonprofit human rights organization partly representing Abu Safiya. Some human rights experts have said that detaining such a high-ranking and high-profile doctor has left a chilling effect.

Since his arrest, Abu Safiya has not been allowed contact with his family, according to Elyas. He only has intermittent communication with his legal representation, Elyas said.

Last week, Abu Safiya appeared by video link for a hearing before the Israel Supreme Court in Jerusalem to appeal his detention. [He was denied.]

Click to expand...

Over the past two years, Israeli forces have seized thousands of documents during operations in the Gaza Strip. Among them are minutes, instructions, and internal correspondence. As a detailed report highlights, these declassified Hamas documents paint a clear picture: Hamas is not only involved in military activities but also systematically controls the civilian infrastructure.

The fact that the current director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Hussam Abu Safiya, was listed as a colonel in the Military Medical Service (MMS) in Gaza, according to "Palestinian" sources, was no secret on Arab social media. Nevertheless, he was invited to write op-eds for @nytimes and is celebrated in international campaigns as a purely civilian figure.

A photo from 2016 shows him at a ceremony at Kamal Adwan Hospital organized by the medical services authorities, where he is seated just two rows behind Ahmad Kahalot.

x.com

Kahalot, the former director of the same hospital, was arrested in late 2023. During interrogations by Israeli security forces, he openly admitted in a published video confession that he held the military rank of a Hamas brigadier general and had made the hospital available as an operational base for terrorists

Due to their deep institutional roots, Hamas’s ideology and structure pose a systemic challenge. Neutralizing this threat requires specialized counterterrorism strategies and a long-term deradicalization effort that objectively addresses the systemic misuse of the medical sector.

The Plan to Eliminate Israel

The newly uncovered message reveals that the Oct 7 invasion was never intended to be a limited or isolated terrorist attack. It was conceived as the opening phase of a much broader regional war aimed at destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamist entity backed by the Iranian regime and its proxies.

Praying that Israel will not be prevented from destroying Hamas is of crucial importance both for the Jewish people and for G-d’s ultimate purposes for His kingdom, which include Israel taking possession of its entire land.

Lord G-d, You bring wars to a halt and disarm the enemy; therefore, do not let this war end until You have completely disarmed Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist groups (Ps 46:9; Ezek 39:3; Mic 4:3; 5:11).

King Jesus, bring about the next steps in Gaza in such a way that glory is given to You when it becomes evident in Israel and among the believers that You have ordained deliverance for Jacob (Ps 44:4-5).

G-d of Jacob, show more Israelis that the Gaza Strip is part of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah and that the recapture of the Gaza Strip is therefore a plan with a strong biblical foundation for the time to come (Josh 15:1, 47; Judg 1:18; Prov 16:9).

King Jesus, protect Your body in Gaza and use them to draw many Muslims to You (Lk 10:2).

G-d of Moses, as You said in Exodus: Go out with the army of Israel against its enemies in the land, and let Your fear go before the IDF (23:27); drive out the enemies of Israel (23:30); and expand its land so that it corresponds to Your vision of all that the Promised Land encompasses (23:31–33).

Abba, deploy armed civilians at the right time and in the right place to prevent terrorist attacks (Josh 4:12).

Lord G-d, help the IDF secure Israel’s longest land border with Jordan (Ps 3:8).

Lion of Judah, cause the PA and Hamas to fight one another (Zec 14:13).

Lord G-d, encourage and empower Israel to remain in its buffer zones in Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip, for these, too, are part of the land You promised to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 15:18).

Lord Jesus, teach Your global Body that You cannot return if Israel is destroyed (Zec 14:1-4); this would prove that Your Word is a lie and thus nullify the promise of eternal life (Jer 31:35-37; John 17:17); therefore, move them to intercede before You, so that You may continue to watch over Israel (Ps 121:4).

Benaiah468 said:

A photo from 2016 shows him at a ceremony at Kamal Adwan Hospital organized by the medical services authorities, where he is seated just two rows behind Ahmad Kahalot.

Click to expand...

Heavens to Murgatroyd, he was seated just two rows behind someone else?

I say lock him up without any charges for a year and a half.

essentialsaltes said:

Heavens to Murgatroyd, he was seated just two rows behind someone else?

I say lock him up without any charges for a year and a half.

Click to expand...

It is not just about the photo, but rather the combination of official Hamas documents listing him as a colonel in the Military Medical Service (MMS) and the well-known structure of the hospital. The photo from the MMS ceremony simply illustrates this official connection.

The MMS reports directly to the Hamas Ministry of Interior and Security and is not a neutral rescue organization; its primary task is to provide logistical and medical support to military units (the Al-Qassam Brigades). Anyone who looks at his seat in isolation is deliberately ignoring the declassified files proving that high-ranking officials in the civilian healthcare system simultaneously hold permanent ranks within the military apparatus.

By appointing its own officers, such as the self-confessed Brigadier General Ahmad Kahalot, or Abu Safiya, as hospital directors, Hamas systematically ensured that hospitals could be used as logistical bases, weapons depots, and command centers.

Of course, every accused person deserves a trial in accordance with the rule of law, and that applies to Abu Safiya as well. The lengthy period of detention without formal criminal charges is explained simply by his legal status. Abu Safiya is being held under Israel’s Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law.

This law permits the preventive detention of members of terrorist organizations, who do not qualify as regular prisoners of war, during an ongoing conflict, provided they pose a security threat. The case has gone through the appeals process, and the Supreme Court of Israel has legally validated the extension of his detention. The fact that the court relies on classified intelligence material, which is withheld from both the defendant and his attorneys to protect sources and methods, is expressly provided for by the statute. Anyone proven to belong to this military branch of Hamas falls under precisely this strict security legislation.

Israel has once again made it clear that the fight against Hamas is by no means confined to Gaza. According to a joint statement by the IDF and Shin Bet, five Hamas terrorists have been exposed who are alleged to have directed military activities against Israel and Judea and Samaria from Turkey. Their names have now been made public: Salam Yaish, Walid Abu Nasser, Majed Ja'aba, Muhammad Mallah, and Ayman Sharawna. According to Israeli sources, they were involved in recruiting individuals for terrorist attacks, as well as in smuggling weapons and money into the region.

x.com

This is not a footnote. It offers a glimpse into the infrastructure behind the terror. Hamas is not just an organization with fighters, tunnels, and rockets in Gaza. It is a network. It operates through money flows, couriers, currency exchange offices, overseas cadres, intermediaries, recruiters, and safe political spaces. Anyone who looks only at Gaza sees only part of the problem. The other part lies where Hamas can plan, recruit, finance, and prepare attacks without being directly on the front lines.

This revelation is therefore so serious for Israel. According to security authorities, plans for attacks directed by Hamas structures abroad have been uncovered repeatedly in recent months and over the past year. This is not the first time Turkey has emerged as a key hub in this context. Israeli authorities had previously pointed to financial networks, couriers, and money changers through which substantial sums were allegedly funneled to Hamas’s military structures. On Sunday, the Israeli army also reported that it had killed two terrorists who are said to have run a large financial network for Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli sources, more than half a billion shekels were funneled to Hamas’s military wing through this network, using couriers and money changers in Turkey and Gaza.

This brings to light a simple truth: Terrorism does not begin with the attacker at the scene of the crime. It begins with the money, the travel, the contacts, the instructions, the weapon, the safe meeting place, and the ideological commitment. Anyone who wants to prevent a terrorist attack must not wait until the final step to act. They must intervene earlier. That is precisely the task of a state that seeks to protect its citizens.

Here, too, the standard that is often overlooked in European debates about Israel applies. Would Germany stand idly by if a terrorist organization were recruiting people from a third country to carry out attacks in Munich or Berlin? Would France accept weapons and money being smuggled in from abroad to carry out attacks on French soil? Would the US tolerate a terrorist organization operating within an allied country to kill Americans? Of course not. Every country would take action. Every country would deploy its intelligence services, identify suspects, expose networks, disrupt funding channels, and exert political pressure.

Why shouldn’t Israel be allowed to do the same?

This is precisely the question that must be asked, because otherwise the counter-argument always comes back to the same point. As soon as Israel combats terrorist structures, people are quick to claim that Israel is escalating the situation. But what would be the alternative? Should Israel wait until recruited perpetrators actually strike? Should it let the money flow until weapons arrive in Judea and Samaria? Should it explain to families in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, or the north that, while it is aware of terrorist networks abroad, it does not name them openly out of diplomatic consideration? No responsible state would give its citizens such an answer.

Turkey plays a particularly delicate role in this context. Ankara is a NATO member, maintains relations with the Western world, and at the same time repeatedly acts as a vocal critic of Israel. The new Israeli revelation does not automatically mean that every Turkish authority was privy to every detail. Such allegations must be thoroughly substantiated. But the political question remains: How is it possible that Hamas operatives maintain structures on Turkish soil that, according to Israeli reports, are involved in attacks, money laundering, and weapons procurement? And why is this issue treated with so much less attention internationally than any Israeli response?

This question should be particularly alarming for Europe. Terrorist organizations exploit loopholes where political control is weak, where ideological affinity offers protection, where financial channels and diaspora networks can be exploited, or where governments turn a blind eye for tactical reasons. Hamas has understood for years that its war against Israel is not waged solely with rockets. It is also waged through associations, bank accounts, couriers, cryptocurrencies, currency exchange offices, overseas offices, and contacts. Those who ignore this are only combating the visible violence, not its preparation.

According to reports, Salam Yaish is alleged to have been involved in recruiting individuals for attacks. Walid Abu Nasser is linked to the financing of a terrorist network in Bethlehem. Majed Ja'aba is alleged to have helped smuggle a weapon that was used in an attack at the Tunnel Checkpoint near Jerusalem in November 2023. Muhammad Mallah, a native of the Tulkarem area, is alleged to have been involved in money transfers for terrorist activities and to have traveled between Turkey and Qatar. Ayman Sharawna is also linked to recruitment efforts. Each of these points reveals a different facet of the same system: people, money, weapons, and contacts.

It would be a mistake to view this revelation merely as an intelligence success. It is also a political message. Israel is telling the world: Anyone who calls for peace or stability must not focus solely on a ceasefire in Gaza or on negotiations in the region. They must take the international networks behind terrorism seriously. As long as Hamas can plan, recruit, and raise funds abroad, any calm will remain fragile. Then a terrorist cell in Judea and Samaria can be controlled from afar just as easily as a money transfer from a seemingly civilian network.

This case also illustrates why Israel cannot wait for other countries to solve the problem. After Oct 7, 2023, it became painfully clear what happens when a terrorist organization is underestimated, when its intentions are not taken seriously, and when international debates focus on Israel’s response rather than on the structures that make such attacks possible. Israel cannot afford this blindness. It must act before attacks succeed.

This does not mean that every security allegation should be accepted without scrutiny. Even Israeli claims must be properly contextualized by journalists. Yet the repeated references to Hamas structures in Turkey, to financial networks, to recruitment, and to arms flows reveal a pattern that cannot be ignored politically. It is no isolated incident when, over the course of months, dozens of attack plans are thwarted that, according to the Shin Bet, were directed by Hamas operatives in Turkey.

The international community must draw conclusions from this. Anyone who truly wants to weaken Hamas must shut down its overseas networks. Anyone who wants to combat terrorist financing must target currency exchange offices, couriers, bank accounts, and intermediaries. Anyone who calls on Israel to exercise restraint must at the same time demand that other states not provide a safe haven for Hamas networks. Anything else is convenient but ineffective.

For Ankara, this revelation is a test of its own credibility. Turkey cannot, on the one hand, claim international significance and, on the other, allow Hamas structures on its soil to prepare attacks against Israel. A state that seeks influence in the region must demonstrate that it does not tolerate terrorism, does not romanticize it politically, and does not allow it to be used as a means of pressure against Israel. This applies all the more to a NATO member.

For Israel, protecting its citizens remains its primary duty. If attacks are being prepared from within Turkey, then this is not a distant diplomatic issue. It directly affects the safety of families, soldiers, commuters, children, and communities. A state that uncovers such networks is not acting out of paranoia. It acts because it has learned that terror begins where others still look the other way.

Ultimately, this case, too, boils down to a simple question: Would any other country tolerate a terrorist organization based abroad recruiting people, funneling money, and procuring weapons to attack its citizens? Anyone who answers this question honestly understands why Israel exposes and combats such networks.

Hamas operates on many fronts. Gaza is just one of them. The connection to Turkey shows just how internationally organized terrorism is and how dangerous it would be to focus solely on the location of the most recent attack. Anyone who truly wants to make Israel safer must do more than just stop rockets. They must also shut down the spaces where the next attack is being planned.

The new Iran deal is making it increasingly clear what Israel has feared from the very beginning: Tehran does not view the talks with Washington as separate from the nuclear issue, sanctions, and regional terrorism, but rather as leverage against Israel on multiple fronts. According to reports by Iranian state media, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with Basem Naim, a high-ranking official in Hamas’s political bureau, and stated that Iran would also raise the situation in Gaza during its talks with the US.

According to the Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, Araghchi said the Iranian negotiating team would raise the issue of Israel’s alleged continued aggression against Gaza with Washington. Press TV also reported that Naim thanked Iran for its steadfast support of the "Palestinian" cause and the resistance against Israel. Araghchi, in turn, reaffirmed Iran’s support for an international political movement in favor of the "Palestinians".

This is more than just diplomatic window dressing. While Washington is trying to sell the memorandum with Iran as a first step toward
de-escalation, Tehran’s foreign minister is on the phone with Hamas and is explicitly including Gaza in the talks. This makes it clear that Iran does not view the deal solely as a matter of nuclear issues and sanctions. Tehran wants to use the agreement to build pressure on Israel and politically cement its own role as Hamas’s protector.

The timing is crucial. The US-Iran memorandum provides for a 60-day negotiation phase. According to reports so far, the immediate issues include an end to fighting on related fronts, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and access to frozen Iranian assets. Tehran had just declared that only Iran itself would decide how to use the released billions. Now comes the next message: Gaza and Hamas also remain part of Iran’s negotiating package.

This is extremely dangerous for Israel. Hamas is not some distant political movement, but the terrorist organization responsible for the events of Oct 7, which has taken hostages and, over the years, transformed Gaza into an armed base against Israel. If, during talks with Washington, Iran happens to be on the phone with Hamas officials and brings the Gaza issue into the negotiations, then this is not about peace. It is about securing a regional power structure designed to put pressure on Israel from multiple directions.

Added to this is the international dimension. Iran does not merely provide political and material support to Hamas and Hezbollah. Western intelligence agencies have already warned of Iranian influence operations. Avril Haines, then-director of U.S. intelligence, stated in 2024 that Iranian actors had attempted to exploit the Gaza protests, pose as activists online, and even provide support for the protests. She explicitly clarified that many demonstrators were acting out of their own convictions. That is precisely why this point is so important: Iran is attempting to exploit genuine debates in Western societies for its own purposes.

That is what makes Araghchi’s phone call with Basem Naim so revealing. Tehran is not saying in secret that Hamas remains part of the equation. It is saying so openly. The Islamic Republic wants sanctions relief, unfrozen funds, political recognition, and, at the same time, safe havens for its proxies. Washington talks about diplomacy. Tehran talks to Hamas.

For Israel, there can be only one conclusion: No agreement with Iran may overlook the terrorist fronts. Anyone who releases billions but fails to curb Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian networks of influence is stabilizing the very system that Israel has been forced to combat for years. After the 2026 war with Iran, the central question must not be whether Tehran will use friendlier rhetoric. It must be whether Iran will have less money, less leeway, and less power to attack Israel through terrorist organizations.

The new report suggests that Iran is striving for exactly the opposite.

Benaiah468 said:

This makes it clear that Iran does not view the deal solely as a matter of nuclear issues and sanctions.

Click to expand...

Anyone can read the points of the deal that the US and Iran signed to see that that is the case.

essentialsaltes said:

Anyone can read the points of the deal that the US and Iran signed to see that that is the case.

Click to expand...

The plain text of a document rarely reflects a regime’s full strategic intent. Anyone who believes that Tehran is concerned solely with civilian energy and the economy in this agreement is ignoring the immediate geopolitical reality.

The official phone call between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Hamas official Basem Naim immediately following the agreement confirms unequivocally that Tehran is actively weaving the Gaza issue and the protection of its proxies into the ongoing negotiations with Washington. According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, Araghchi explicitly stated that the Iranian leadership is raising the issue of the attacks on Gaza

in all international forums, as well as with mediators and the US side during current negotiations.

Click to expand...

S.: irna.ir

International media outlets such as The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post have similarly documented this incident.

Furthermore, this agreement triggers the release of massive financial reserves. To make matters worse, Tehran has already shattered any illusion that these unfrozen billions will be restricted to humanitarian aid. While the US administration claims the funds will be monitored via Doha to exclusively purchase food and medicine, Iran's top leadership has explicitly rejected any such oversight.

This agreement poses a grave threat to Israel’s security: By easing sanctions, it pours billions into Iran’s coffers without effectively curbing Iran’s missile program or its funding of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Anyone who turns a blind eye to the fact that Iran will use these funds to reorganize and rearm the terrorist fronts along Israel’s borders in the wake of the recent war is engaging in a dangerous denial of reality. An agreement that ignores Israel’s security and financially stabilizes the leadership of the terrorist network is not a step toward peace, but rather logistical preparation for the next conflict.

Benaiah468 said:

To make matters worse, Tehran has already shattered any illusion that these unfrozen billions will be restricted to humanitarian aid.

Click to expand...

Once again, this is explicitly stated in the agreement. This is not some secret skullduggery. It's what the US agreed to.

The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use, the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MoU. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.

essentialsaltes said:

shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Click to expand...

Your quote above underscores my point and highlights the fatal flaw of this agreement regarding Israel’s security. You are confusing Washington’s rhetorical spin for public consumption with the hard legal reality of the text you just provided. Look closely at the text you quoted: It makes it clear that no one other than the Central Bank of Iran controls to whom and for what purpose these funds are transferred.

There is absolutely no clause restricting these billions to food, agriculture, or medicine. It is a blank check written directly to the Iranian Central Bank, the very institution that finances Tehran’s military apparatus and its proxy network. This is precisely why the Iranian leadership is now publicly gloating and humiliating the US administration, which has tried to tell the American public that the funds would be strictly monitored through Doha.

Just yesterday, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, aggressively dismissed these American claims on X, writing that

America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture,

Click to expand...

and that the US is merely exporting

broken promises and trash talks

Click to expand...

aljazeera.com

By using the term trash talks, Ghalibaf is exposing the US narrative of strict monitoring as empty propaganda for the gallery. He is publicly signaling that while Washington makes defensive statements to satisfy domestic critics, at the negotiating table, they capitulated and granted Iran total control. To reinforce this, Iran’s central bank governor stated that the released funds

will not necessarily be restricted to essential goods,

Click to expand...

while Iran's representative in Geneva made it clear that

Iran is the only country that will decide what to do with its assets. I reject any claim that there would be any role for any other country to have an influence over those decisions.

Click to expand...

AlArabiyaEnglish

Your own quote confirms that this is not a humanitarian aid package. It is a contractually guaranteed, unrestricted financial windfall for a regime that, on the very same day, was on the phone with Hamas to solidify strategic coordination. For Israel's security, leaving billions to the absolute discretion of the Iranian Central Bank remains a logistical disaster.