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Palestinians need prayers. They need peace. They need relief from rulers who would tromp over the bodies of dead Palestinian children as long as it meant firing one more rocket at Israel. I’m going to say something that some people might think is controversial but that the evidence proves is incontrovertible.

Hamas hates Palestinians. 

They really don’t like their own people. If they did, they wouldn’t use homemade rockets made in somebody’s garage out of spare parts that kill their own when those bargain-basement munitions misfire. They park rocket launchers near civilian buildings in the hopes that Israel will retaliate and kill innocent bystanders. They build terror tunnels that threaten the structural integrity of schools and hospitals. When Israel tells the Palestinians to vacate areas they are about to bomb, Hamas tells the people it’s a trick and to stay where they are—all in the hopes of creating a higher body count so leaders can cry crocodile tears over the dead. They develop a culture of fear, and one of the worst victims of their smoke-and-mirrors act is the Palestinians themselves. 

Here’s how I know Hamas hates Palestinian people: instead of being perpetually obsessed with killing Jews—this is part of their charter, after all—they could use the tens of millions of dollars it gets from Iran every year to turn the Gaza Strip into one of the hottest properties in the Mediterranean. The lives of every Palestinian person in the area would improve almost overnight. With its miles of beaches, Palestine could be a world-class tourist destination, dotted with seaside resorts bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Its rich historical heritage, which includes the Canaanite, Philistine, Israelite, Greek, and Roman civilizations, could be celebrated with archaeological dig sites and state-of-the-art museums—the area could be a virtual cultural epicenter, home to world-class academic programs in archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman studies. Like Israel, it could be a beautiful little jewel hosting countless visitors every year. It could become one of the world’s premiere vacation spots within a decade. 

Instead, Hamas denies Palestinians the hope of a first-world life while its leaders live in luxury, sometimes owning multiple homes in different countries. They actually want their people to live in squalor. Hamas commits war crimes against its own citizens, using women and children as human shields and hiding rocket launchers and munitions depots near hospitals, schools, and apartment complexes. They dupe their people with false claims about Israel and force them to cower in fear against a common foe that Hamas creates. They are peddlers of violence, and Palestinians unwittingly foot the bill. If this were a marriage, Hamas would be an abusive husband guilty of domestic violence and marital rape. 

Hamas’ callous disregard for the lives of its people can be seen in a recent incident involving a rocket that blew up the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza. Hamas claimed that Israel bombed the hospital in an air strike while the Palestinian Authority blamed Israel for a “massacre.” Another group named Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also blamed Israel for the explosion. Pictures of the blast site do not show significant damage to the buildings that comprise the hospital complex but do show a damaged courtyard on the hospital grounds along with about two dozen cars that were destroyed by the explosion. This is very important: early sources said the hospital was bombed, with estimates putting the casualty total in the hundreds (with one estimate from Palestinian sources claiming over 3,000 casualties). In reality, the failed rocket hit the courtyard and destroyed some cars but did kill several people.

Predictably, Islamic groups went into overdrive immediately. The incident sparked protests in various countries in the Arab world. King Abdullah of Jordan blamed Israel and canceled a summit intended to discuss Gaza with President Biden along with Egyptian and Palestinian leaders. The terrorist group Hezbollah called for protests in denouncing the incident, which it also blamed on Israel. In the United States, news outlets changed headlines rapidly as new information poured in. In one example, the New York Times changed one headline several times from “Israeli Strike kills Hundreds in Hospital” to “At Least 500 Dead in Strike on Gaza Hospital” to “At least 500 Dead in Blast at Gaza Hospital.”

In the United States, politicians with Islamic or Palestinian roots also touted Israel’s responsibility for the explosion. Representative Ilhan Omar (D – MN) tweeted that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) blew up a hospital in Gaza. She was one of many who were quick to point the finger of blame. This is not surprising, given her propensity to lie about Israel, in addition to her well-established track record of making anti-Semitic comments. She’s not alone—Omar’s fellow congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D – MI) tweeted that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza (this tweet has since been deleted) and that President Joe Biden was partially to blame for not de-escalating the conflict. She refused to back down even when analysis of video footage of the explosion clearly showed the rocket belonged to Hamas, proving that Israel and the IDF did not bomb the hospital.

One of the complicating factors here is that Islamic theology allows for deception to be used in the defense of Islam. This is called taqiyya, which was practiced as early as the time of the Prophet Muhammad himself. As long as this deception is used in the defense of Allah and the Islamic faith, Muslims are absolved of any wrongdoing. Blaming Israel for a rocket attack in which Hamas killed other Muslim believers would qualify as such a case. It is a sad truth that Hamas—and American politicians with sympathies for Islam—can be rightfully and legitimately accused of using deception for the sake of fulfilling their goals. Many Western people are unaware that Islamic theology makes this exception. 

But one does not need to be a Muslim to lie—anyone can do this. After the Hamas attack, “Squad” member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “The level of misinformation in all directions at this moment is incredibly high, especially on this platform. If you see a claim, photo, or video that triggers a strong emotional reaction, take a moment to pause and check for veracity/confirmation from multiple sources.” The irony here is rich, as this comes from someone with a long history of misrepresentation and outright deception, who infamously pretended to be handcuffed when arrested during an abortion-rights demonstration (presumably, to earn credibility from her supporters). 

Palestinian people need prayers. They need freedom from their despicable, bloodthirsty overlords. More importantly, they need the freedom that only Christ can supply. Their rulers will lie to shift blame to their enemies. Hamas sympathizers in the West will lie to keep them mired in their hellish, fear-riddled existence. 

Palestinians are just like you and me, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). They deserve better.