And What Next, Hamas Movement?

Author: إبراهيم ابراش

Let us assume that everything Hamas says about justifying the Al-Aqsa flood is true, that it is part of the people’s right to resist occupation, and about the heroism of the resistance in the Gaza Strip. They claim that due to the flood and the resistance, the world has rallied against Israel, which has become globally ostracized. However, the reality on the ground indicates that 80% of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed, roughly 70% of its land has been occupied, and over a quarter of a million Palestinians have either been martyred, missing, or injured. There is famine and ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip’s inhabitants, alongside the ongoing destruction and occupation of the historical city of Gaza, in addition to the ongoing destruction of camps in the West Bank and the expansion of settlements, as well as attempts to dismantle the Palestinian Authority.

Does all this field reality align with what Hamas claims as achievements? What remains for Hamas in terms of cards of power that allow it to continue speaking about the weapon of resistance as a red line that defends the Palestinian people? We wonder which people they are referring to?

Hamas initially aligned itself with the axis of resistance and the unity of the fronts, and then it followed the farce of negotiations mediated by Qatar to release the kidnapped Israelis in exchange for conditions set by Hamas, such as withdrawal of Israel from the strip, halting settlement expansion, and other issues. However, after two years of war and the death of most of the hostages, and after a theatrical operation targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, following Trump’s insidious and ambiguous initiative—which resulted from a meeting with some leaders of Arab and Islamic countries while completely ignoring the existence of the State of Palestine or consulting with it or its role in governing the Gaza Strip after the war—coinciding with an increase in recognition of the Palestinian state and the growing predicament of the entity state; after all that, has Hamas been convinced that it was exploited by Washington, Tel Aviv, and Doha to pass what Netanyahu has planned since the start of the war? Has Hamas finally discovered Netanyahu’s lie that his goal in the war is to liberate the prisoners and that he is not concerned about them?

Has Hamas finally realized that Washington cannot act as a mediator in negotiations between it and Israel and should stop requesting American guarantees for any agreement to stop the war, and that it should warn against Trump’s recent initiative, where he hinted at consultations with Hamas regarding the initiative?

Trump’s recent initiative stopped the farce formerly known as negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, even with the Hamas movement, as Washington treats the movement as a terrorist group kidnapping hostages, rather than as a resistance movement representing the Palestinian people or even part of it.

Finally, in order not to lose everything—both Hamas and what remains of its allies—and to cut off Netanyahu’s plans and Trump’s initiative, which is not far from Netanyahu’s schemes and goals for the war and may provide him with more time to complete his plans; and to support the global popular movement at the governmental level and increase the pressure on the entity state; also to dispel the increasing doubts day by day that Hamas, intentionally or not, is a partner of the enemy in destroying and liquidating the Palestinian cause, Hamas must declare that it hands over the entire Gaza file to Egypt, the State of Palestine, and the United Nations, and that any negotiations take place with them. Thus, Hamas would become a partner in the ongoing positive international movement in favor of Palestine. This step might open a window for national dialogue to achieve national unity and to overcome the state of tension, and even of excommunication and betrayal in the internal Palestinian relations. Perhaps this, at a minimum, would lead to stopping the death, hunger, and humiliation of the families in Gaza, who have lost their humanity due to the war. While we doubt that Netanyahu and Trump will accept this solution, at least it sends a message that there is a shared Palestinian-Arab stance.