The Complicity of Those ‘Innocent Civilians’ In Gaza

Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab, a journalist, an enemy of Hamas, and an outspoken supporter of Israel. In a recent article, Tawil takes note of those soi-disant “innocent civilians” in Gaza, from those who took part in the October 7 atrocities, to those who have been holding Israeli hostages captive in their homes. More on Tawil’s analysis can be found here: “Palestinian ‘Civilians’: Complicit in Hamas Crimes,” by Bassam Tawil, Gatestone Institute, June 10, 2024:

The courageous Israeli operation that resulted in the rescue of four Israeli hostages on June 8 has confirmed what many Israelis and Palestinians have known for some months: that Palestinian civilians were, and continue to be, complicit in the crimes carried out by the terrorist organization Hamas prior to October 7, 2023, and onward.

The four hostages, Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, were abducted, together with more than 250 Israelis, during the Hamas-led attack — backed by Qatar and Iran — on Israel eight months ago.

It has now come to light that the hostages were being held in a residential area of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. This is another instance of how Palestinian terrorist groups use fellow Palestinians as human shields in the Jihad (holy war) to slaughter Jews and eliminate Israel. In this instance, it is difficult to say that the Palestinian families were used as human shields because they held the hostages voluntarily and happily.

If ruling regimes such as Hamas do not want their civilians killed during hostage rescue operations, they should not start unprovoked wars to begin with, then complain when they are hit back. They also should not take hostages, then hide them among the civilian population. It is not complicated.

The Palestinian families can hold only themselves accountable for the scores of Gazans who died during the rescue operation. Those families were not coerced or threatened into keeping the hostages inside their homes. The exact opposite is true: They were delighted to help Hamas because they support the terrorist group.

Three of the hostages – Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Zia were held in the home of Palestinian journalist Abdallah Al-Jamal, who worked for the US 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization The Palestine Chronicle, and as a spokesperson for the Hamas Ministry of Labor. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the three hostages were being held by this “journalist” and his family.

Unsurprisingly, Abdallah Al-Jamal also worked for the Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera television network, which has long been serving as a de facto mouthpiece for Hamas and other Islamist terror groups….

The Palestinian journalist [Abdallah Al-Jamal] and his family should be kept in mind the next time we hear about civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip. For the previous eight months, he and his family had been holding Jewish captives in their house. We must also not forget the thousands of “ordinary” Palestinians, to many of whom Israel had given work permits, who crossed the border into Israel on October 7 and took part in the crimes against Israelis.

Before October 7, 19,000 Gazans had permits allowing them to work in Israel, earning three to four times what they could earn at home. They had been selected as low-security risks. On October 7, some of those same “trustworthy” workers, Israel discovered, had provided information to Hamas on Israel’s border security, had helped guide Hamas operatives into Israel, and had even taken part, too, in the atrocities. So much for the dreamy belief on the part of some Israelis that those Gazans who received those work permits would be grateful for them.

The next time someone mentions on social media, or in conversation, how terrible the IDF has been to “innocent civilians” in Gaza, don’t let it pass unremarked. Tell that person about the “innocent civilians” who took part in the October 7 atrocities, the “innocent civilians” who beat the kidnapped Israelis when they first arrived in Gaza, the “innocent civilians” who passed out candy to celebrate the rapes and murders of 1,200 Israelis, the “innocent civilians” who eagerly collaborated with Hamas by imprisoning those hundreds of kidnapped Israelis for many months of hell.