Videos of Gazans condemning Hamas were filmed under Israeli coercion, witnesses say

Israel also accused of trying to cultivate a humanitarian image to present to the world

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Israel is forcing Palestinians to make derogatory comments about Hamas and then publishing videos of these statements online, portraying it as evidence of widespread discontent towards the group, witnesses have told The National.

Gazans have said that fear and force are behind the footage of such denouncements and a compilation of testimonies has challenged the narrative being shared by the Israeli military.

"Hamas is what ruined everything and caused us to end up like this," says one man, whose face is blurred out, as he sits on a mound of sand in a video shared by an Israeli army spokesman. Another man says: "Hamas has to be executed ... the entire population doesn't want Hamas."

A mother of five, who chose to remain anonymous for her safety, recounted her interaction with Israeli soldiers which took place while fleeing bombardment in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.

"When we first reached the checkpoint at the Indonesian Hospital, the army treated us very harshly and insulted us," she said. "One soldier stopped some young women and forced them to curse Hamas and the resistance. Tanks were moving around us, covering us in sand and dust. By the time we arrived in Gaza city, we were in a terrible state due to the soldiers' assaults."

After the checkpoint, east of Jabalia refugee camp, which was under siege for three weeks, Israeli soldiers tempted vulnerable women and children with bottles of water and biscuits, which they placed on the ground.

"They invited us to take some while two soldiers recorded the scene," she said. "Soldiers were trying to speak kindly to us in front of the cameras. But as soon as we moved on to the next patrol, it was a completely different situation.”

Neither the public dissent towards Hamas that has been recorded nor the Israeli kindness towards Gazans being reported is genuine, witnesses say.

"In reality, they [Israeli troops] humiliate and abuse us, insult the women and shout at the children without mercy," the mother of five said. "They try to create a humanitarian image to present to the world but this image won’t erase their crimes. For over a year now, they’ve been killing children and women without mercy."

Another resident, M T, 24, said the army separated men and women at the same checkpoint at the Indonesian Hospital and allowed only women to move forward. He was detained with other men inside a school until the evening, where everyone was searched, he said. "Anyone who had anything [considered] suspicious on them was taken, while those cleared were directed towards Salah Al Din street, then Gaza city."

M T said soldiers were "physically and verbally abusive". He also confirmed that scenes of "humane treatment" by the Israeli army were filmed as soldiers distributed water to the displaced as a ruse.

He said he and others were told to condemn Hamas. "Soldiers cursed Hamas and the resistance, demanding that we repeat their words, even using offensive language," while being recorded, he said. "Other soldiers forced some of the young men to curse [Yahya] Sinwar and [Ismail] Haniyeh, saying they had led us to hell and death."

I H, 34, from Gaza, shared an account of soldiers singling out men with long beards, offering them food and water while engaging them in seemingly friendly conversations. "After a while, they began asking, 'Who is better, us or Hamas?' Out of fear, the men were forced to say, 'Hamas destroyed us, exhausted us and ruined our lives. We wish you would rule us.'"

According to I H, the soldiers pressed further, trying to elicit stronger criticism of Hamas while filming. “They aimed to create a narrative that the people are against Hamas and the resistance," he said.

Israeli tactics

Gazan analyst Ahmad Bassiouni said the videos produced and shared by Israeli forces are meant to show the world that Palestinians are paying the price of "Hamas's absurdity" rather than "Israel's criminality".

"Israel is capturing fighters and members of the resistance, eliminating them either by capturing or killing them, then heading to the environment that they believe fostered or created this mentality," he told The National.

But the narrative portrayed is deeper than merely political, he said. "It is about attacking the incubator of that ideology, eliminating and humiliating it, forcing people to confess under torture and killing that the culprit for their suffering is Hamas."

By publishing the footage on social media, he said, Israel is sending a message to Palestinian society, so that "for years to come, these insults and humiliations will remain visible to them and future generations. Doing so also bids to transform the Palestinian resistance from a 'role model' to a lesson learnt by its consequences."