12/21/2023–|Last updated: 12/21/202311:55 AM (Mecca time)
By attacking Palestinian civilians indiscriminately, Israel hopes to put pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to surrender, but this pressure does not work because the terms “surrender” and “raising the white flag” are not part of the movement’s vocabulary, and because its members are loyal to their cause and not They have something to lose, and because in the end it is a national movement that claims to fight the occupation, and its ideology is to fight until victory or martyrdom.
These sentences summarize most of the interview conducted by the French website Media Part with Mkhaimer Abu Saada, a professor of political science at Al-Azhar Mosque in Gaza who was evacuated to Egypt on November 17, after the devastating Israeli response tore his life apart like other residents of the stricken Gaza Strip. .
Israel has no strategy
In this interview, which was summarized by Julie Paris, Abu Saada attempts to review Hamas’ strategy since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7 until today, at a time when the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, is visiting Cairo to conduct negotiations.
The political science professor, who lost 25 members of his family in the war, believes that Israel does not have a clear strategy, because its goal from the beginning is to destroy Hamas, that is, to disarm it and remove it from the government in Gaza, but that, according to the Israeli army, will take several months due to the strong resistance. In the sector.
Israel calls on Hamas leaders to release all Israeli hostages, not realizing that this is impossible without a permanent ceasefire agreement – as Abu Saada says – because this is Hamas’ only card to prevent Israel from continuing to bomb Gaza in the event of a truce, and thus Israel pushes Hamas to The wall leaves her no choice but to fight.
Any possible political solution?
When asked about the political solution, Abu Saada ruled out the evacuation of Al-Qassam fighters, as happened in the agreement to end the siege of Beirut in 1982, when 10,000 fighters from the Palestine Liberation Organization were evacuated to 5 Arab countries, because Hamas will not demobilize its fighters and will not ask them to lay down their arms, and any An Arab country will not agree to host 30,000 fighters from the Qassam Brigades.
The political expert also ruled out any agreement that does not take Hamas into account, which – according to his opinion – can accept a permanent ceasefire for 10 years, and Israel and the mediators must propose the correct formula that allows Hamas to end the fighting and release all the hostages.
Abu Saada was surprised that Yahya Al-Sinwar, who speaks fluent Hebrew and boasts of his good knowledge of the Israeli mentality, would make the mistake of underestimating the Israeli reaction. He said, “This is a shock to the Israelis. I do not understand how anyone or any authority can make a decision to carry out an attack of this magnitude without anticipating the response that will follow.” ?
He continued: This is how Israel wages war on Palestinian civilians, killing children, infants, and women in hospitals and schools, and burying people alive. “It is a policy of mass destruction, even if October 7th was not the beginning of the conflict.”
On the other hand, the political science professor questioned the results of any opinion poll conducted in the current circumstances, as more than 90% of Gaza’s population were forcibly displaced and are living in tents in the middle of winter, hungry and without drinking water.
Hamas will not claim victory
Abu Saada predicted that, on the day this war ends, many voices will rise to demand that those who caused it be held accountable.
He added that even if Israel failed to eradicate Hamas, the movement – according to Abu Saada’s opinion – would not be able to claim victory, after 20,000 martyrs, more than 50,000 wounded, and the destruction of 60% of the infrastructure, according to the United Nations.
Abu Saada concluded that the features of post-war life without Hamas in power, in the Gaza Strip, need to bring in someone from outside the context, such as the former Fatah strongman in Gaza, Muhammad Dahlan, or former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, or the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Hussein Al-Sheikh, especially since Hamas members do not see a problem with joining the Palestine Liberation Organization.
But there may be a turning point, because Hamas will not conclude an agreement with Israel without obtaining the release of Marwan Barghouti, who has been imprisoned in Israel since the second intifada, as he is the only political figure capable of bringing the Palestinians together and renewing dialogue with the Israelis.