Popular support for Hamas and PIJ is fading, says Gazan mother

46 Palestinians including 15 children were killed in Gaza during the three days of conflict with Israel

In a rare interview with an Israeli channel on Monday, a Palestinian woman living in the Gaza Strip said that Gazans’ support for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was fading.

Speaking in English on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Hamas, which rules the enclave, this Palestinian mother told Channel 12 that there was a real change in public opinion.

“The point of view of the people of Gaza has completely changed. In previous wars, they were with the resistance, with Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad, but now people are calling for an end to the war,” she said.

“The only ones to suffer from the war and see their homes destroyed are the people of Gaza, not their leaders,” she noted.

Describing her terror during Israel’s recent Operation “Breaking Dawn,” the woman shared that she lied to her children about the Israeli airstrikes, telling them that “it was a celebration, not a bombardment.”

“They try to believe me but they see the fear on my face,” she said. “Look at my face and see how scared I am and know that I’m not telling the truth,” she said.

During Operation “Breaking Dawn” directed against PIJ militants in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes targeting the leaders and infrastructure of the terrorist group. According to Gaza’s health authorities, 46 people, including 15 children, were killed during the three days of conflict.

While PIJ fired 1,100 rockets at Israel, several Palestinians including 12 children were killed by failed launches that landed inside the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli military.

In Israel, three people were injured and tens of thousands were repeatedly forced into missile shelters to protect themselves from rocket salvos.

The ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad negotiated by Egypt came into effect on Sunday evening. Earlier on Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Laid addressed Gazans saying there was an alternative to war.

“I want to turn from here to the residents of Gaza and tell them: There is also another way. We know how to protect ourselves from anyone who threatens us, but we also know how to provide work, livelihood, and a life of dignity to anyone who wants to live in peace by our side,” Lapid said.

Source: i24news