Impressive pictures

This crazy Hamas show foreshadows dark things to come

Thousands of young men take one last look at the "enemy" - a young civilian from Israel.

What has this war actually achieved? This painful question comes to mind after the images of armed Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip. The terrorists' big propaganda show since the ceasefire came into effect confronts the world public with bitter realities. A classification.

Hamas is alive. The ugly face of the Islamists is still visible in the enclave. This has been clear since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip came into force on Sunday.

Green headbands, balaclavas, machine guns wherever you look. The Hamas terrorists have put on their uniforms again. They came out of hospitals, tent camps, destroyed residential buildings, accompanied by the cheers of many civilians. The message behind it is clear: Look, we own the Gaza Strip!

Hamas' big propaganda show
As the terrorists emerged from the shadows, it also became clear that some troops from the elite Nukhba unit had survived. They could be seen in propaganda pictures distributed by the Palestinian media. The unit was instrumental in the October 7 attack. Middle East analyst Joe Truzman drew attention to this (see tweet below). 

The hostage handover to the Red Cross in Gaza City was turned into a propaganda show. The three Israeli women Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonen had to go through hell once again before their release. They were paraded in front of thousands of onlookers and armed Hamas fighters. 

As a final humiliation, the women were presented with a gift bag. It contained: Photos from their hostage situation along with a certificate of their "visit" to the Gaza Strip. They were forced to smile for the cameras. Around their necks they wear ribbons with the words "Palestine" in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

The three women with their "gifts"

(Bild: Hamas)

At the handover to the Red Cross, the vehicles were surrounded by crowds of people. The densely packed crowd chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). Representatives of Hamas and the Red Cross could be seen signing documents. Then the three women ran from a Hamas vehicle into a Red Cross car. The intention here was to demonstrate superiority at the expense of three young women. Probably with success.

Of course, no one can currently say for sure how many combat-ready soldiers Hamas really still has. The last remnants could have been scraped together for propaganda purposes. But it doesn't really matter.

The next generation is waiting in the wings
Much more important is who is in the second row here. Behind the soldiers. Roaring young men who want to catch a last glimpse of the enemy. The unbelievably brutal actions of the Israeli army under Benjamin Netanyhu and his far-right government have created a breeding ground that terrorists wouldn't even dare to dream of. Hamas is now more of an idea than an army. 

It is also clear that the people in the Gaza Strip have suffered immensely under Israel's bombardment. A large part of the civilian population was busy leaving their makeshift homes at the time of the disgusting display of the Israeli hostages. They are currently on their way to their pulverized homes.

There is no plan for the end of the war. There is no plan for the reconstruction of Gaza. There is no plan for sustainable peace. The ceasefire is also on shaky ground; the second and third phases must first be negotiated with the terrorists. 

The images from the Gaza Strip are having the desired effect in Israel and the world. Netanyahu's government has promised to hunt down all Hamas supporters. When terrorists rise from the rubble in front of the cameras, this naturally causes a certain amount of tension. The Israeli prime minister is struggling to keep his cabinet together. Palestinian and Israeli extremists are rubbing their hands together. When no one knows what will happen next, they are particularly vocal.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has spoken out on Israeli military radio in favor of conquering the entire Gaza Strip. "We must (...) establish military rule there", he said. There was no "third force" that could exercise control there.

Should the war not continue after the exchange of the first 33 hostages, he said, he would blow up the government. So while the bodies of relatives are being dug up in the Gaza Strip, the government in Israel is crumbling. The only thing that harms extremists is peace. Hamas' propaganda show makes it impossible.

For a sustainable ceasefire, power politicians like Netanyahu would have to give up power and terrorists would have to stop being terrorists. The reality is that new green headbands are being knotted as we speak.