What is preventing Jews and Gazans from living side by side

Coming up on the three-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre, Gazans have had enough time and tragic repercussions, as a result of the actions by their Hamas-terrorist leaders, whose plan to destroy the Jewish state ended up backfiring on them. 

Now, homeless, destitute and unable to rebuild, the soul-searching has begun, causing them to realize that, perhaps, it wouldn’t have been so bad to find a way to live in peace with their Jewish neighbors.

That’s how the anti-Hamas militia group was born, just a year ago. What begin with only four individuals has grown into a segment of society that is committed to fighting Hamas.  

Hussam Al-Astal, head of the Khan Yunis-based militia, in a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post, says that more and more Gazans, fed up with Hamas, are joining the militia’s efforts in the Gaza Strip, supported by Israel. 

Claiming to receive calls on a daily basis from civilians, individuals and families, they are expressing their desire to move to his side, hoping to free themselves from the clutches of the terror group.

Feeling that their lives are at risk, they know they are constantly being monitored, as their every movement is reported. Any attempt to permanently leave the area, could result in their being shot. But as many find themselves without schooling or healthcare for their families, they are seeking out a way to free themselves of Hamas’ control.

Consequently, Al-Astal hopes to rebuild a new Gaza. Already establishing a school, for Gaza’s youth, the militia has provided the choice for students to receive military training or study to become doctors, engineers and others “who can contribute and serve the people of Gaza.”

Al-Astal says that “people are tired of Hamas and have had enough.” And while that may be true, after decades of putting their faith in leaders who brought them disaster, many Gazans are now suffering from a trust issue. 

Despite the militia fighting Hamas, Gazans say they lack organization, would be unable to properly manage Gaza and fall short in providing adequate protection for them, making them reluctant to envision them as potential leaders.

The one thing uniting all of them, though, is that “Hamas needs to go and that Palestinian political organizations, such as Hamas and Fatah, have failed the people.”

Hoping to rally everyone, Al-Astal says, “Let’s end Hamas oppression. No more political organizations that only care for their own members and interests. Let’s allow our young generation to live and develop. We can live side by side with Israel. I do not see a problem with that.”

And while those words are encouraging, Hussam Al-Astal cannot ever achieve any of those goals without first doing the essential work of convincing his people that hatred for Israel and the Jewish people is completely counter-productive to the establishment of a healthy Gazan society.

In order to realize the dream of allowing young people to “contribute to society and serve their people,” they must first excise the evil indoctrination which they received from birth, that Israel is the enemy which must be eradicated.  They must also come to the realization that all of their waking hours can no longer be devoted to training for warfare, to destroy the Jewish homeland.

But it is not only their deep disdain and contempt against the Jewish race that prevents them from a good life. There is a reason why the surrounding Arab nations have not been agreeable to letting them in. 

Egypt and Jordan are two such examples. Those geographic areas, closest to Gaza, have refused them entrance, using the excuse that to do so would “nullify their right to statehood and trigger massive security risks.”

What are those security risks, and what do these nations fear when it comes to Gazans?

It is knowing that, among the two million Gazans who would migrate, embedded among them would be Hamas terrorists and other Palestinian militants. These are people who only know one way of life, and that is to wage war.

So, the fear of destabilizing their countries is rooted in their understanding of who these people are and what they might do if given the opportunity of living in their land. The possibility of initiating a struggle for power to control the country which has opened its doors to them is not far-fetched?

Herein lies the problem of why Al-Astal’s epiphany of living side by side with Israelis cannot come to fruition – at least not until something radical changes in the Gazan population.

For that to happen, they must first identify who, among them, are still committed to harboring hatred, resentment and murder in their hearts. Those individuals will prevent them from ever living peaceful and productive lives, and the sooner they are rejected and shunned, Gazans will have a greater chance to re-establish themselves as those who are aiming to pursue peace with their neighbors.

Unfortunately, this is not the present reality, and that is why Egypt and Jordan are unwilling to risk an insurgency in their countries, knowing that not all Gazans fit into the category of beleaguered victims, searching for a place of refuge.

Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi “warned that the presence of Palestinian militants, in his country, would become a base for attacks on Israel. And although Israel would have the right to defend itself, their strikes would land on Egyptian territory.”

He continued by saying, “The peace which we have achieved, would vanish from our hands, all for the sake of the idea of eliminating the Palestinian cause.”

While the first part of the statement is true, the second part does not accurately reflect the truth. Gazan migrants would not be coming to Egypt as the result of Israel’s decision to “eliminate the Palestinian cause,” but because the barbaric massacre waged against Israel ended up destroying their city.

Unable to live peaceably with Jews, their own Arab neighbors fear that they also will not be able to live peaceably with them.  That is why the haters among them must be eliminated as soon as possible.  Because until then, they will only continue to be tied to a life doomed to bondage.