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A War of Cowards: The Reality Behind Hamas’ Propaganda and Psychological Warfare
Former hostage Emily Damari is reunited with her mother, on Jan. 19, 2025. Credit: Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit.
The entire Israeli nation has followed the return of the Israeli hostages to their homes. The emotional reunions, tears, and embraces have symbolized the victory of spirit and humanity over the cruelty and terror of Hamas and the Palestinian factions.
At the same time, in other places, Palestinians celebrated the release of prisoners convicted of murdering innocent civilians, presenting it as a historic victory. These individuals are called “Jihad fighters” in Arabic, but in Western discourse, they are often referred to as “freedom fighters,” a term more palatable to the Western ear — as though they represent an ideological movement akin to the one created by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hamas tried to present the prisoner exchange deal with a royal touch, framing the return of the Israeli hostages as a “humanitarian gesture” on their part. The settings have included an official table, bureaucratic stamps, and the presence of European Red Cross personnel, who played their part in what seemed like a poorly executed school play — all to create a narrative in which Hamas appeared to have defeated the Israelis and emerged as the master, while continuing to present Zionism as an existential threat to the Islamic world.
The gap between rhetoric and reality sharpens when examining Hamas’ actions in a broader context. The organization professes commitment to Islamic principles, yet its actions blatantly contravene basic tenets of classical Islam. The Koran itself states: “Those hypocrites who remained behind rejoiced for doing so in defiance of the Messenger of Allah and hated the prospect of striving with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah” (Surah Al-Tawbah, 81).
The religious command to fight the enemy without fear stands in stark contrast to Hamas’ actions, which involve attacking innocent civilians while hiding behind the people of Gaza.
Rather than fighting as a military force against another military force, Hamas members hide in tunnels, leaving the population in the eye of the storm, and exploiting their suffering for political purposes. The primary casualties among the IDF in Gaza are the result of roadside bombs and traps — not direct combat, but cowardly sabotage tactics. The leaders of the organization are not fighters; they speak grandly, and then send others to their deaths while fleeing to fortified tunnels.
While the people of Gaza suffer from shortages and destruction, Hamas leaders enjoy lives of luxury in Doha and Istanbul. Their personal wealth, the result of political extortion and control over aid budgets, is in complete contradiction to their claims of sacrifice and jihad.
Even after the fighting ends, the heavy toll continues to be paid by the people of Gaza. The roadside bombs that Hamas planted in the streets have now become deadly traps for the civilians returning to northern Gaza. However, does the international community speak out? Do human rights organizations denounce this cynicism? The answer is clear.
Hamas’ charter states “jihad is the path” and “death for Allah is the highest of aspirations.” Their texts describe a paradise of alcohol, forbidden foods, and sexual pleasures for those who die for Allah, but it seems that the leaders of the organization prefer another route: fleeing, inciting, and exploiting their own people for personal gain. While the people of Gaza live under bombardment, Hamas leaders live in safety.
Eleven years ago, when three teenagers were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas operatives, the IDF launched Operation “Brother’s Keeper” to locate the teens and bring the murderers to justice. An Egyptian journalist commented: “You Israelis — you’re men! They kidnapped three children from you, and you went all out to bring them home, no matter the cost. Yet, he called the Hamas operatives barking dogs, hiding in their master’s house.”
This is not a war of heroism by Hamas. It is not a war of ideologies — unless murdering Jews is considered an ideology. This is a war of cowards.
Itamar Tzur is an Israeli scholar and Middle East expert who holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Jewish History and a Master’s degree with honors in Middle Eastern Studies. As a senior member of the “Forum Kedem for Middle Eastern Studies and Public Diplomacy,” Tzur leverages his academic expertise to enhance understanding of regional dynamics and historical contexts within the Middle East.
The post A War of Cowards: The Reality Behind Hamas’ Propaganda and Psychological Warfare first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.