Hamas has seen its popularity rise among Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire, reversing a decline that had taken hold during the US-Israeli genocide, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 18 November.
The sharp rise in popularity has reportedly created a significant obstacle for a US-backed plan that seeks to forcibly disarm the movement and sideline it from Gaza’s future governance.
According to WSJ, this shift has emerged as Israeli forces withdrew to the so-called Yellow Line and Hamas fighters reclaimed their positions in the streets of Gaza, taking on the role of patrolling neighborhoods, targeting criminal gangs, and opposing factions backed by Israel.
Residents in Gaza, including some who do not support Hamas politically, have welcomed the restoration of basic order after months of chaos.
Speaking to WSJ, Gaza City businessman Hazem Sarour explained that “even people who don’t support Hamas want security.”
“We saw a complete breakdown, robberies, bullying, and lawlessness. No one could stop it except Hamas, and that’s why people back them,” Sarour added.
Another Gaza resident cited by WSJ shared a similar sentiment, telling the outlet, “Even those who oppose Hamas, the idea of security is something people want.”
The return of policing units has sharply reduced theft and looting, with UN agencies reporting that more than 80 percent of humanitarian aid entering Gaza was intercepted or stolen before the truce, compared to around five percent last month after Hamas’s “blue police” resumed operations.
The World Food Programme (WFP) revealed on 22 October that no aid convoys have been looted in Gaza since the ceasefire began, describing a clear break from the disorder that characterized earlier deliveries.
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research has recorded a rise in the approval of Hamas’s wartime performance from 39 percent last year to 51 percent in the most recent survey.
Most Palestinians in Gaza oppose key components of the US-backed plan to forcefully disarm the Hamas, with 55 percent rejecting it, and 52 percent opposing the deployment of an international force to carry out that disarmament.
The WSJ report noted that these trends undermine Washington’s efforts to push the plan into a second phase requiring Hamas to relinquish its weapons.
Analysts cited by WSJ say the polling indicates that Hamas has not been weakened to the degree claimed by Israeli officials. As one pollster told the outlet, “Hamas isn’t going to disappear tomorrow. We have to live with that.”By https://thecradle.co/