Dan Pujdak is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and chief strategy officer at Blackbird Strategies. William Barclay is a communications officer at the Macdonald-Laurier InstituteSince the horrific events of October 7, countless political actors have attempted to misconstrue Hamas as a cohort of embattled freedom fighters who struggle valiantly on behalf of a beleaguered Palestinian people.Unfortunately, Hamas is utterly unconcerned with the plight of the Palestinian people and for decades, Hamas’s leadership has brutally oppressed Gaza.For example, Hamas’ leadership embezzles the overwhelming majority of any international aid, in order to enrich themselves and viciously attack the people of Israel. Furthermore, Hamas’ leaders have imposed exorbitant ‘taxes’ on all humanitarian aid that enters Gaza and frequently refuse to pay for electricity in Gaza, in order to misappropriate funds towards their own hellish military endeavours and terrorist attacks against Israelis.In fact, although 80% of Gaza’s population is currently forced to live in abject poverty, Hamas’ leaders possess assets worthapproximately $500 million US and maintain an annual military budget of $350 million US.As a result, Palestinians have been left bereft of vital infrastructure, as well as countless basic necessities, such as food, water and hospitals. Even Hamas’ own commanders and leaders, those not living in luxury in Doha, are routinely forced to travel to Israel in order to receive medical services, despite their own emphatic desire to force every last Jew ‘into the sea’. Moreover, Hamas eagerly oppresses various vulnerable populations and minorities in Palestine.Homosexuality, for instance, is illegal in Gaza, and any suspected sexual minorities can face abuse, harassment and even death. Even the UN itself has identified the safety, human rights, and dignity of LGBTQ+ people in Palestine as an area of grave concern.Furthermore, women in Palestine lack numerous fundamental human rights and cannot even travel without the oversight and express permission of a male guardian. Hamas has permitted sexual assault to become rampant in Gaza and girls of all ages are routinely brutalized and forced into marriages against their will. Sadly, women and girls in Gaza are also frequently the subject of ‘honour killings’ at Hamas’ behest, and, from 2015-2020, femicide in Palestine actually increased by 100%.In fact, although countless North American political actors and pundits furiously preoccupy themselves with abolishing the state of Israel, the Palestinian people themselves are not at all immediately concerned with erasing the Jewish nation.Rather, the Palestinian people desperately desire to escape Hamas.For example, in 2022, scores of Palestinian people and pro-Palestinian activists inundated Twitter to condemn Hamas via the hashtag #TheyKidnappedGaza. Even Amer Balosha, one of the modern era’s most courageous pro-Palestinian activists, bravely risked his life to reveal that "Hamas has billions of dollars in investments in many countries, while people [in Gaza] starve to death and migrate in search of work...”Prior to the events of October 7th, the Middle East’s most comprehensive public opinion project, Arab Barometer, confirmed that over 67% of Gazans were deeply distrustful of Hamas. In addition, Arab Barometer’s study revealed that 72% of Gazans believe Hamas is corrupt and that Gazans have started to reject not merely Hamas, but the entire Palestinian leadership as a whole. More importantly, Arab Barometer’s landmark 2023 study reaffirms that Gazans themselves overwhelmingly desire to escape Hamas and that the majority of Gazans favour a ‘two-state solution’.If Hamas were interested in the concerns of its citizens, why would it have launched its attacks?In Hamas' own words: Our job is to fight; it is "...the UN’s responsibility to protect [Palestinians]."Sadly, although various North American politicians and pro-Palestinian activists have attempted to cultivate support for the Palestinian cause by misconstruing Hamas as freedom fighters and brave champions of the Palestinian people, it is clear that Gazans themselves overwhelmingly consider Hamas to be their own most urgent threat.Anyone who peddles the tattered narrative that ‘the state of Israel must be abolished in order for the Palestinian people to be free’ inevitably prolongs the real suffering of Palestinians and Jews alike.We urge every ‘Palestinian ally’ to listen earnestly to the people that they purport to help: Palestinians need to be free from Hamas.Dan Pujdak is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and chief strategy officer at Blackbird Strategies. William Barclay is a communications officer at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
