Report: Hamas Says Civilian Deaths 'Necessary Sacrifices'

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Facts

• Alleged leaked messages of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly show that he believes that a high rate of civilian casualties benefits the group politically.¹
• Sinwar reportedly believes that Hamas has 'Israelis right where we want them,” the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.²
• According to the report, Sinwar likened the war in Gaza to a seventh-century battle fought by Prophet Mohammed's grandson and wrote that civilian casualties “are necessary sacrifices.'³
• In one apparent message to Hamas' political leadership in Qatar, Sinwar allegedly likened the conflict to the 1954-62 Algerian War of Independence in which 400K-1.5M Algerians were killed.⁴
• The report further adds that Sinwar was shocked by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, saying that 'Things went out of control” and that 'People got caught up in this, and that should not have happened.'²
• This comes as the UN Security Council passed a resolution endorsing a US-drafted three-phase ceasefire proposal for Gaza, which Hamas has accepted, though the US has indicated that the group has presented 'numerous changes.'⁵

Sources: ¹CNN, ²Wsj, ³Jerusalem Post, ⁴Timesofisrael and ⁵BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Hamas' ruthlessness was already evident on Oct. 7. Its continued use of Palestinian civilians as human shields is additional evidence of a vile strategy. Israel, in contrast, rigorously avoids targeting civilians, even in an urban setup. Besides, it also acknowledges and takes responsibility for its mistakes, whereas striking and using civilians is Hamas' modus operandi.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. Israel's defenders keep saying it doesn't target civilians, yet the evidence suggests otherwise. Israel is intentionally targeting civilians and areas that have been deemed to be 'safe zones,' not to mention the blockade that has pushed Gaza toward famine. Besides the fact that the validity of these leaks is always in question, this hypocrisy needs to be called out even when criticizing Hamas' cynical calculations.

Predictions