“Hamas represents a small part of the Palestinian people.”

The needs in the process of restoring calm between Israel and Hamas terrorists, who have ruled the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, are so many that it becomes difficult to find nuances between the two enemies. Clarion I interviewed a resident of Gaza, Moamen Al-Natour, one of the founders of the We Want to Live organization. This is a protest movement against Hamas inside the Gaza Strip. Al-Natour continues to survive the terrorist group’s cruelty against his people, despite his imprisonment in fundamentalist prisons.

He is a believer He is 29 years old, a lawyer and considers himself a social activist. He is proud to be Palestinian and gave an interview ClarionVia video, from Tel Aviv to Rafah in Gaza, which is witnessing dangerous humanitarian conditions due to the overcrowding of the Palestinian population after the Israeli bombing. He was imprisoned by Hamas. It is now, so to speak, largely protected. He was able to conduct the interview when he had electricity to plug in his laptop and get lighting. It was under the management of the organization Fuente Latina and Peace Communications Center.

Momen spoke in Arabic and communications were mediated by an English translator from Washington. “First of all, I would like to condemn the criminal attack that occurred on October 7. This work does not represent any liberation movement. I wish the Israeli response to October 7 had been to separate the civilian population from the combatants by creating safe zones. In this way, we and Israel would have avoided all subsequent consequences. More than 80% of Gaza is destroyed today,” he said in a kind of introduction to his thoughts.

With clear expressions of concern, and in a place with clear signs of deterioration and gunshots on the wall as well. Moamen raised significant criticism against Hamas For his cruelty and for the barbaric attack that occurred on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 innocent people, soldiers or civilians of all ages, were killed, burned and women raped by terrorists. But it is also extremely important given the scale of the war waged by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Gaza, which has left, according to estimates, 70,000 people dead, the displacement of about two million people, and the destruction and division of the small area that will be divided – at a minimum – into an area controlled by Israel and an international force and another smaller area that will be given control to the Palestinians.

Momen confirms the obvious: that many civilians in Gaza are suffering from the consequences of a war that could have been prevented. “Before October 7, many people came to Gaza to challenge Hamas or denounce it for its brutality. Now, after watching what Hamas is doing, many Palestinians in Gaza are speaking out against Hamas from within the city.“, He pointed out. He insists that there be “safe zones, Hamas-free zones where civilians can stay and get medical assistance and basic necessities,” which has not yet been implemented. First of all, Hamas has shown that it is still alive, and the Israel Defense Forces, led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, continue to bomb Gaza areas despite the ceasefire.

When asked why he accepted this interview with journalists, he said: “The reason I am speaking to the Western media and to you is that we want to send a message that We are not Hamas. Hamas represents a small part of the Palestinian people in Gaza. They have some presence in the West Bank and some Arab countries, but Hamas does not represent us. We have been persecuted by Hamas, and we want to send a message that we all need to work together to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip, especially since we are now in a transition period where it is very important to pave the way to Gaza without Hamas or the day after Gaza without Hamas. Let’s work together. We are there as Palestinians against Hamas. Now there are two types of Gaza.”

A believer describes what he sees. “Gaza is behind the yellow line, free of Hamas, and another where there is an Israeli military presence so that international forces can access ‘our region, attract more people and internally displaced people, and declare an independent government during this transitional period, so that we liberate all of Gaza from Hamas.’”

-In the October 7 attack, Gazans were seen crossing the border and stealing Israeli homes…

In Gaza, the majority are Muslims, 28% are Christian friends, and there are many Muslims who are friends with Christians. We also have an experience where many people from Gaza went to Israel and worked in Israel with our Jewish neighbors, and they were very happy about it, always citing wonderful memories. We have people who are still in touch with their friends in Israel. We also heard from our grandparents and relatives that before 1987, the situation in Israel and Gaza was unbelievable. Life was really good. We’re looking to have a good time and have our neighbors come back, talk to each other, and see us. The neighbors are Israelis in this context. There is a part of Palestinian society in Gaza that is not fighting a war, and is not like Hamas and the extremist movements.

– How do you explain Hamas’ terrorism against its citizens and opponents for many years without there being a rebellion?

– What you saw recently (referring to the brutal executions by gunmen of the movement of other Palestinians, where they kneel blindfolded and then execute them in the middle of the street) is just an example of everything we have observed since 2007. Hamas has always practiced this kind of criminal acts that terrorize the people of the Gaza Strip. Hamas acts this way when it feels it will lose control over the civilian population. For them, civilians are their greatest asset. They are always hiding behind themselves, especially behind young people. For this reason, Hamas is struggling with all its might to remain in power and retain the support of the civilian population. That’s why we need to move civilians to these yellow zones, where they are not under Hamas’ rule, because by releasing them, we are robbing Hamas of all its power.

-But how were they able to continue to survive now in light of the Israeli attacks?

– Basically, Hamas tunnels extend under our homes, schools, and hospitals. This fact has become more apparent in the past two years. This is one of the ways in which Hamas exploits and uses the civilian population. The other is their presence in IDP centres, schools (including international schools) and hospitals among the civilian population. This is another way Hamas uses civilians.

– How do you see Israel’s actions in Gaza being considered “genocide” in many parts of the Western world?

Funding, mainly Iran and other countries in the region that finance and support Hamas, is the reason why Hamas and other brutal organizations remain active in the region. We have seen this with Al-Qaeda, with ISIS, and with many extremist and extremist organizations in Syria. All of this is thanks to the support of Iran and other countries that benefit from the continuation of these militias throughout the Arab world. I believe that the propaganda spread primarily by Al Jazeera and Qatari-funded media played a crucial role in creating a pro-Hamas narrative in the West. We have seen demonstrations in Gaza led by Westerners in military uniform. Al Jazeera helped present Hamas as a liberation movement, a charitable movement fighting for a noble cause. I think this is the only reason why people in the West lean more towards Hamas. Essentially, Al Jazeera and other Qatar-linked media outlets played the major role in also influencing protesters around the world. These demonstrators could have protested for civilians in Gaza to have safe areas to live without Hamas, but we never saw them do that on our behalf. Thus, the media played an essential role in shaping all events that reached the rest of the world from Gaza.

-How do residents feel after two years of war? Can you give details?

-Most of the population suffers from severe depression. Everyone wants the war to end, but they do not want Hamas to remain in power. So, since dawn, people have been waking up trying to get food and water. If you watch videos of camps affected by the recent storm, you will see people losing their tents and becoming increasingly displaced. Buying a new store is now very expensive; It can cost a thousand dollars. Moreover, the aid that is supposed to reach Gaza for civilians does not reach the entire population, because Hamas diverts and resells it. It’s a collective depression. This is how people are.