Support for Hamas is on the rise in Gaza. The majority of civilians there deny Hamas committed atrocities against Israelis on Oct. 7. New information from former hostages reveals that some of those civilians are shielding and helping Hamas militants.
One hostage sharing her experience in captivity said she was being held by a civilian family in Gaza and described it as “a holocaust.”
Civilians’ involvement is further complicating the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel wants to root out Hamas terrorists, but the government is still facing pressure to protect Palestinians who, according to recent polling, are largely supportive of Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 75% of civilians in Gaza believe Hamas was correct to launch its assault on Israel on Oct. 7. Since the war began, support for Hamas has strengthened. The majority of Palestinians would like to see Hamas in control of Gaza over other leadership when the war ends.
Mia Schem, a 21-year-old hostage taken by Hamas during a music festival, shared her experience, saying she “felt like an animal in the safari” while in captivity. She said she was operated on without anesthesia to treat a gunshot wound in her arm. Hamas released a video of Mia during her time in captivity where she is heard saying she is fine.
Schem was released in a hostage-prisoner exchange last month. She said her captors were a family of civilians and urged people to understand Israel is up against more than just Hamas militants.
“Everyone over there is a terrorist,” Mia said in an interview. “Suddenly, I realized that I’m with a family. Suddenly I’m asking myself questions: Why am I in some family’s home? Why are there kids here? Why is there a wife? It was important to me to relay the truth about the nature of the people who live in Gaza, who they truly are and what I experienced there. I went through a holocaust.”
Navigating through civilians to seek out Hamas has proven to be difficult for Israel. One of Hamas’ war tactics involves dressing as innocent civilians, blending in with crowds and making it difficult for Israeli soldiers to identify enemy combatants.
Earlier this month, Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three hostages, thinking the hostages were part of an ambush. The Israeli military, while taking full responsibility for the mistake, is stressing the complexity of situations on the ground as the enemy embeds itself with civilians.
