The Enemy Within: Hamas’s War Against Its Own People Exposes Gaza’s Forgotten Crisis

While the world fixates on external conflicts, Hamas’s systematic brutalization of Palestinian civilians reveals a darker truth about who truly oppresses Gaza’s residents.

The Cycle of Internal Terror

Recent reports of Hamas militants assaulting Gaza residents underscore a grim reality that often escapes international headlines: the Palestinian people face violence not only from external forces but from their own governing authority. Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, maintains its grip on power through a combination of ideological fervor and systematic intimidation of dissent. This latest incident joins a long pattern of documented abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, and suppression of protests against Hamas rule.

The international community’s response to internal Palestinian suffering has been notably muted compared to other regional conflicts. Human rights organizations have documented hundreds of cases of Hamas security forces attacking journalists, political opponents, and ordinary citizens who dare to criticize the regime. In 2019 and 2021, Hamas violently suppressed protests by Gazans demanding better living conditions, using live ammunition against demonstrators. Yet these incidents rarely generate the same level of international condemnation or media coverage as other aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Political Paradox of Palestinian Advocacy

This selective attention creates a devastating paradox for Gaza’s two million residents. International advocacy groups and diplomatic efforts often treat Hamas as the legitimate representative of Palestinian aspirations, even as the organization terrorizes the very people it claims to champion. This dynamic traps ordinary Gazans between an authoritarian regime that brooks no dissent and an international community that seems reluctant to acknowledge their internal oppression. The result is a population held hostage twice over—by Hamas’s iron grip and by the world’s diplomatic blind spots.

Breaking the Silence Barrier

The reluctance to address Hamas’s internal violence stems from multiple factors. Critics fear that highlighting Palestinian-on-Palestinian violence might be weaponized to deflect from other regional issues or undermine the broader Palestinian cause. Others worry about appearing to side with Hamas’s adversaries. But this silence abandons Gaza’s civilians to their fate and perpetuates the very suffering that international observers claim to oppose. True solidarity with the Palestinian people requires acknowledging all sources of their oppression, not just those that fit convenient political narratives.

As Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens—with failing infrastructure, medical shortages, and economic collapse—the question becomes increasingly urgent: How many more Gazans must suffer under Hamas’s boot before the international community recognizes that Palestinian liberation must include freedom from their own self-appointed leaders?