I mentioned earlier in the thread how Hamas gained control of Gaza.
Last month in another thread, I gave my opinion on why Hamas has been allowed to stay in power. It can be found
here. Since that thread has been closed and I can't quote it, I will post it again.
"Based on my personal experience and observations while working in communities where terrorists have established themselves and their terrorist activities go unchallenged by the people living in these communities, there are a couple of reasons I can think of as to why Palestinians wouldn't want to get involved in, or cooperate with authorities in exposing Hamas terrorists. For one, Palestinians in Gaza live in an environment where turning against Hamas could pose significant risks to their lives, livelihoods, and families. They allow Hamas to operate in Gaza mostly because they are afraid that if they refuse, they will be its next victims. Another reason is that most Palestinians in Gaza are too busy struggling to survive from day to day to concern themselves with Hamas. They have enough problems already.
I can guarantee you that if Hamas is ever eliminated in Gaza, the Palestinians will be celebrating in the streets."
Below is an excellent US Today article that does an great job in explaining why so many Palestinians voted for Hamas, their feelings towards both Hamas and Israel, and why they haven't been able to remove them from power. It also confirms the reasons I gave earlier as to why Gazans have allowed Hamas to remain in power and their communities. I suggest those blaming Gazans for Hamas' actions click on the link and read the entire article.
Long before Hamas's murderous rampage in Israel on Oct. 7, the group made a name for itself with its ruthless takeover of Gaza in 2007.
Its calling card? Killing its political rivals execution style in the streets, in hospital shootouts, and by throwing them off the rooftops of high-rise buildings. Since then, arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances has been a hallmark of the regime.
Yet now, some Palestinians are "self-silencing" how they really view Hamas − and what they reveal about living under the U.S. and European Union-designated terror group in the Gaza Strip.
68% − believed that they had no way to safely participate in peaceful protests against Hamas' rule.
"Basically (most Gazans) just want to be able to do their job and have enough money to spend time with their family,"
"Nobody in Gaza is thinking about Hamas. They are busy surviving," this Palestinian said.
"The most important thing now is not Hamas. It's that Israel stops killing us," said another.
Before the war, Israeli media published stories of Gazans who had fled the enclave because of threats they faced from Hamas for participating in protests, because they didn't support its approach to Israel or for challenging the way it spent financing from Qatar on rockets and tunnels rather than schools or other infrastructure.
"After Oct. 7 we all in Gaza have been (accused of being) Hamas supporters. In fact, I am not. And I will never be," said Tareq Hajjaj, a Gazan journalist, in rare public comments about Hamas.
Hajjaj said he knows many Gazans with strong feelings about Hamas who won't speak publicly about it.
Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza since it began its operation to root out Hamas after its attacks on Oct. 7. This is making it hard for Palestinians to talk about Hamas even if they don't support it.
www.usatoday.com