Gaza—Hamas’s ‘Human Shield’

Palestinians and members of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades gather outside the ruins of the house of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as Israeli hostages are handed over to the Red Cross in a hostage-prisoner swap in Gaza on January 30.
Mahmoud Bassam/Anadolu via Getty Images

Gaza—Hamas’s ‘Human Shield’

The war Israel wasn’t allowed to win

On January 19, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas began. The fighting in Gaza is over for now. Hostages are being released, though at great cost to Israel. People are taking to the streets in celebration across the Western world—mostly in support of Hamas.

Hamas could not have hoped for a better outcome at this stage. It is allowed to stay in the Gaza Strip and influence its rebuilding. The international community has come to its rescue, pressuring Israel to leave the region. It seems the world has bought into Hamas’s many lies about “Israel’s genocide.”

Hamas started a war that Israel simply was not allowed to win.

A Horrific Kind of Lawfare

Since 2007, Hamas has been using the “human shield” tactic in Gaza, which the International Criminal Court defines as “utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations.” Hamas has rooted military fortifications in civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.

This is a war crime. But it has been largely ignored.

With this tactic, Hamas has conducted an effective lawfare campaign against Israel. It claims Israel is deliberately targeting schools where people seek refuge, while using those schools to store missiles and weapons. Hamas claims that Israel lays siege to hospitals, denying critical supplies and care to Gazans in need, while it plants its bases of operation inside those very hospitals.

All of this is an effort to make Israel out as a monster who murders innocent civilians, even though Hamas massacred over a thousand Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas’s claims are clearly false, yet many believe them, ignoring Israel’s substantial efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

Hamas has accused Israel of slaughtering civilians, starving the population, and committing genocide in Gaza. These claims have been parroted by millions across college campuses and social media. The calls for Israel to leave Gaza have been unrelenting, the demands for a ceasefire overwhelming. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for “war crimes” right now because of such lies.

Most have turned a blind eye to Hamas’s evil tactics despite the evidence proving its guilt.

Mountain of Evidence

In 2014, it was reported that Hamas stored rockets and munitions inside Gazan schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, while claiming to shelter civilians from the fighting. The unrwa soon confirmed the findings. A year later, the UN confirmed that the rockets were not only stored in these areas—they were fired from them.

Hamas has continued this practice today to a much greater degree. unrwa-run schools and Palestinian hospitals are used as munitions storage and rocket-launching sites; numerous staff members are complicit. Mosques are used to produce missiles. Hamas members have disguised themselves regularly as civilians for the past year. Now that the ceasefire has gone through, they have again donned their uniforms.

Palestinian media report figures given by Hamas health authorities citing an alarming number of civilian casualties. The Israel Defense Forces has routinely reported and proved that these “civilian” numbers include militants.

Much of Gaza lies in ruin—that is undeniable. Israel did its best to target Hamas’s infrastructure while relocating civilians to minimize casualties, and it successfully destroyed much of Hamas’s network. But now it must leave, while Hamas is allowed to remain a powerful influence in Gaza. Undoubtedly, reconstruction funds will be used to rebuild terrorist infrastructure in preparation for the next round.

The Palestinian Opinion

Considering the evidence, is Hamas really a “Palestinian resistance group” like it claims? Its terrorists have openly, concertedly abused the Gaza population. So what do the Palestinian people think of Hamas?

Since the beginning of the recent war in Gaza, pollster Khalil Shikaki has surveyed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The most prominent issue is “Palestinian attitudes toward violent struggle against Israel.” The most recent poll showed over two thirds of respondents support Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Over 40 percent of Palestinians prefer Hamas’s government; the other 60 percent are unevenly split among similar groups.

Why this support? “The support for Hamas comes from various sources,” explains Shikaki, “but the most important one is because Palestinians share Hamas’s values. They will support Hamas for that, even if Hamas makes wrong moves here or there.”

The sobering reality is that a significant number of Palestinians—possibly even a majority—prioritize Hamas’s ultimate goal: total annihilation of Israel.

A generation of Palestinians has been raised to hate Israel. Terms like “occupiers,” “demons” and “genocide” are commonplace in their education.

Prominent news outlets report Hamas rallies as “celebrations” among starved genocide victims; in reality, they are filled with well-fed Hamas supporters chanting for the murder of Jews.

Plagued by Lies

As we have written before, Jews are “the one minority society loves to hate.” For generations, they have faced irrational hatred. The current propaganda war against them is just the latest example.

The Bible shows that Jews have a unique role in God’s plan for mankind. The world’s hatred for these people stems from one being who will tell any lie to stir up hatred for God’s plan and God’s people.

Israel is not occupying Gaza or committing genocide. Hamas, and many Palestinians, do not want a two-state solution; Gaza was that solution, yet the October 7 massacre still happened. Hamas has proved it does not want peace.

The only way to understand this widespread deceit is to see the spiritual reality. To learn more, read “Truth and Lies About the Israel-Hamas War.”