Sight of Hamas fighters celebrating in Gaza chills Israelis

On Sunday, three Israelis held captive by Hamas in Gaza were released, with the entire nation of Israel anxiously following every detail. Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv to witness the release of Romy Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher after 471 days in captivity. This release was part of a ceasefire agreement and an exchange for Israel releasing 90 Palestinian women and children.

The public first saw the three women as they were transferred to the Red Cross in Gaza City. The vehicles were surrounded by several heavily armed Hamas militants in crisp uniforms, managing a large crowd of curious Palestinians. This scene, along with images of Hamas militants parading through the streets of Gaza in brand new white trucks, shocked the Israeli public, sparking anger and raising doubts about the effectiveness of the 15-month-long war.

After all, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised to completely eradicate Hamas from Gaza. Amichai Eliyahu, a former minister from the far-right Jewish Power party, posted a video of Hamas militants celebrating on X, writing, “This is the face of total victory.” Independent Israeli journalist Israel Frey told Middle East Eye that after seeing the Hamas footage from Gaza City, “the Israeli public was shocked.”

Frey stated, “For a year and four months, the public's eyes were filled with baseless narratives of total victory and revenge, and now the Israeli public is seeing Toyotas from Gaza, armed Hamas members, and Gaza rising from the ruins.” He believes that the Israeli perception of Palestinians, from Palestinian politicians to young children in Gaza, is marked by “delegitimization and dehumanization,” a view prevalent throughout society, from far-right settler youth to mild-mannered liberals.

Frey added, “Everything was mobilized to narrow the Israeli and the world's perspective to see Palestinians only as ISIS, Nazis, and subhumans.” Amal Orabi, a lawyer and Palestinian human rights activist, said the images of Hamas militants surrounded by civilians were used to reinforce this narrative about Palestinians. “Israeli media took the opportunity to repeat the message that there are no innocents in Gaza. They saw this as another opportunity to incite the public against the people of Gaza,” she told Middle East Eye.

Orabi continued, “In the eyes of the Israeli public and media, the citizens of Gaza are not worthy of happiness, they are not worthy of a moment of normalcy after 14 months of war.” Channel 12 journalist Almog Boker, who repeatedly stated “there are no innocents in Gaza” during the war, posted a video showing Hamas members driving white pickup trucks shortly before the ceasefire began. “If you're looking for targets…” he wrote suggestively. The ceasefire was delayed by three hours, during which Israeli attacks killed 19 Palestinians, including children, across Gaza. “Got it,” Boker then stated triumphantly.

Israelis were also angered by the sight of Palestinian civilians celebrating with Hamas. “Israeli media is portraying Gazans as culpable for their misfortune to deflect from Israel’s responsibility in the situation in Gaza,” Orabi told Middle East Eye. The deal agreed upon on Wednesday was reportedly on the table as early as May. Orabi stated that this will also raise public unease. “Israeli media will ask if it was all worth it, but before the ceasefire, this discussion was non-existent,” she said.

Orabi pointed out that Israeli liberals and the left have never suggested that the best way to release hostages is through a political deal rather than military force. She said, “This camp is silent again and allows the right wing to control the narrative that Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza are the sole culprits of the situation and that Israel’s war is just.”

During the hostage handover, some Palestinian civilians were present, some of whom chanted “Allahu Akbar,” a scene that was condemned by Haaretz journalist Haim Levinson. “I’m not happy for their joy, I’m sad for them because that’s who they are, the dregs of the bottom of the human garbage,” he posted. Frey believes these remarks “are taken and inspired by the regimes from not so long ago in history that brought Jews to the crematoriums when they also used similar slogans.”

Frey argues that this rhetoric is not only symbolically wrong but also life-threatening, “because it allows regular soldiers to choose whether to shoot and also allows pilots who read Haaretz and think of themselves as liberals to bomb Gaza.” Frey concluded, “Instead of telling the story of Gaza, where people are happy that their children can be without fear that a bomb will fall on them or that their families will die, there is a campaign to dehumanize Palestinians.”