Hamas claims slain terrorists are civilians, silences truth-tellers

Hamas threatens, kills Gazans who speak about members of the terror group killed by the IDF, whom they falsely label as civilian casualties.

By World Israel News Staff

Hamas bars references to its members killed by the IDF in Gazan media, falsely listing slain members of the terror group as being civilians in order to garner sympathy from the international community and demonize Israel, according to a new report.

Left-wing Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz spoke with residents of Gaza, who said that any reference to the fact that most of those killed by the IDF were armed terrorists is strictly banned in the coastal enclave.

“The prevailing assumption on the streets is that if the names of slain gunmen are published, people around the world will identify less strongly with the Gazans’ suffering, and this will give legitimacy to bombing Gaza,” a Gazan told Haaretz.

“As long as there are clips and stories about the civilian population, nobody says a thing. But if anyone dares to criticize Hamas or to mention the name of a slain fighter, they will call them a traitor and treat them as such.”

Another resident of Gaza told Haaretz that “there is fear to talk publicly about Hamas operatives, including operatives who have been killed.”

They added that mentioning casualties sustained by the terror group could lead to one being labeled a “traitor” or “collaborator,” which may result in retribution – including murder – at the hands of the terror group.

A third Gazan confirmed to the outlet that Hamas is highly aware of the strategic impact of falsely inflating civilian deaths and misleading the global public regarding the

“This is a war of survival also for Hamas’s image around the world,” they said.

“When armed operatives aren’t mentioned, when their deaths aren’t mentioned, they don’t exist in the [international] discourse [about the Israel-Hamas war].”