ARTICLE

For Many Palestinians, The 'Day After' Should Look Just Like The 'Day Before'

News Image By Khaled Abu Toameh/JNS.org July 19, 2024
Share this article:

More than nine months after the Israel-Hamas war began, many Palestinians are convinced that the "day after" in the Gaza Strip will be a return to the pre-Oct. 7 era, in which the Iran-backed terrorist group still has control of the coastal enclave. For them, the "day after" means going back to the day before the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Today, Palestinians fall into two groups: those who hate Hamas but think that under the current circumstances it is impossible to remove it from power, and those who want Hamas to stay in power because they embrace it and its extremist ideology.  

Opponents of Hamas contend that until the terrorist organization is totally destroyed, neither the Palestinian Authority nor any Arab state will be prepared to rule the Gaza Strip. And they do not see that objective being met more than nine months after the start of the war.


Recently, Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for Hamas's military wing, claimed that his group has been successful in bringing thousands of new "fighters" into its ranks to replace those killed since the start of the war.  

Even if Abu Obaida's claim is exaggerated, its purpose is to demonstrate to Palestinians, Arabs and the international community that Hamas is not going anywhere. This is a form of warning to any party that would consider playing a role in the Gaza Strip the "day after."

Over the past few months, Hamas has killed clan leaders and kidnapped and tortured political opponents to thwart the establishment of a new government.

In response to Hamas's campaign of terror and intimidation, several clans in the Gaza Strip have released statements declaring their support for the terrorist group and denouncing any "conspiracy" to foster the rise of new leaders there.

That, however, does not mean that Hamas will prevent the Palestinian Authority or any other party from providing financial and humanitarian assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Furthermore, it does not imply that Hamas will impede any initiative to reconstruct Gaza. As long as these actions do not compromise Hamas's authority, the organization will permit them to take place.

Where does the Palestinian Authority stand?

Not hiding their dissatisfaction in private, some P.A. officials are disappointed that Hamas still controls the Gaza Strip more than nine months after the war began.

"We thought it would only take a few weeks to remove Hamas from power," stated one official. "However, several months later, Hamas remains in place and continues to have complete authority over civilian affairs. In addition, Hamas still has many fighters."


Another P.A. official said that he had anticipated a fall in Hamas's popularity among Palestinians as the war drags on and more Palestinians lose their lives.

"We see that the opposite has happened," the official stated. "According to polls conducted after Oct. 7, Hamas's popularity is rising. This is due to the widespread belief that Hamas is winning the battle. If you watched [the Qatari-owned network] Al-Jazeera, you would also come to the same conclusion--that Israel has been defeated," he said.

The most recent public opinion poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, showed that many Palestinians support Hamas and believe that the terrorist group will continue to rule the Gaza Strip after the war.

When asked who the public would prefer to control the Gaza Strip after the war, 61% (71% in the West Bank and 46% in the Gaza Strip) answered Hamas. Only 16% chose a new P.A. with an elected president, parliament and government, while another 6% chose the current P.A. but without its president, Mahmoud Abbas.

When asked to speculate about the party that will control the Gaza Strip after the war, a majority of respondents (56%) answered that it would be Hamas.

It is also interesting to see that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians (75%) oppose the deployment of an Arab security force in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, these Palestinians have actually endorsed Hamas's stance, which opposes the deployment of non-Palestinian security forces in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas officials have gone as far as warning that such a force would be dealt with as an "occupying" party--implying that terrorists would target the troops. Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries do not seem to be enthusiastic about dispatching troops to the Gaza Strip.

Similarly, the P.A., too, does not appear to be excited about returning to the Gaza Strip. That's because it does not want to be accused of entering the Gaza Strip "atop an Israeli tank." The P.A., in addition, is also afraid that it will be left alone to bear the burden of rebuilding Gaza because most Arab countries have consistently failed to fulfill their promises to help the Palestinians.  


Despite the devastation, most Palestinians support Oct. 7

According to the latest poll, a vast majority of Palestinians (68%) said the terrorist group's decision to launch the war on Israel was "correct." Previous polls conducted by the same center have shown that more than 70% of Palestinians support the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

There is virtually no debate among the Palestinians about the "day after" in the Gaza Strip, even though some in Israel and the United States appear to be obsessed with the idea. This is due to the widespread Palestinian belief that Hamas will somehow maintain its hold on power in the Gaza Strip after the war.

The Palestinians are probably the only ones who could force Hamas to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip. It remains to be seen whether or not the Palestinians who lost their homes and loved ones will rise against Hamas after the war or if a large number of them will take to the streets to express their support for the terrorist groups, either out of fear or genuine sympathy.

Originally published at JNS.org




Other News

October 20, 2025Mamdani Is A Preview Of The Future Of The Democrat Party & Leftist America

Zohran Mamdani is the future of the Democratic Party and there is little the Democrat establishment can do to stop it. What has struck me ...

October 20, 2025Global Persecution Of Christians On The Rise - Western Media Silent

Globally, the persecution of Christians is getting worse with each passing year, but since the mainstream media mostly ignores what is goi...

October 20, 2025Hezbollah And Iran Are Already Rebuilding — And Next Time Will Be Different

If history is a teacher, then Iran and Hezbollah have taken careful notes. The last conflict was swift, brutal, and one-sided. Israeli int...

October 20, 2025Israel Just Freed 160 Palestinian 'Pay To Slay' Millionaires

Israel has released 250 Palestinian terrorists who were serving at least one life sentence for murder in order to fulfill it's terms of th...

October 17, 2025The Coming Flood Of Evil: ChatGPT's Adult Content Will Create Digital Babylon

If OpenAI's plan for adult content moves forward this December, we will be witnessing not innovation, but invasion -- of hearts, homes, an...

October 17, 2025Parents Stripped Of Foster License For Christian Beliefs

The state of Massachusetts has stripped another Christian foster care couple of their foster licensing after they declined to sign a state...

October 17, 2025The Tides Are Turning: Why Fewer Young People Are Identifying As Trans

A quiet but deeply hopeful shift is underway. After years of accelerating youth identification with transgender, nonbinary, and gender-que...

Get Breaking News