Pure Barbarism: Hamas’ War Against Civilians

I thought I got used the perennial cycle of violence that afflicts the Middle East. But after Hamas’ assault on Israel I realise that it is only now that we are truly confronted with the sight of a morally decadent mode of warfare haunting the region.

There will be a lot of discussion and debate on the causes of the current war in Israel. Fingers will be pointed in all kinds of directions and all the different parties will blame each other and seek to excuse their behaviour. No doubt there were times over the years when individual fighters on all sides behaved badly. However, the barbaric behaviour of Hamas is qualitatively different to the normal violence that the different sides inflict on one another.

The most important point to make about Hamas’ attack on Israel is that it represents a consciously directed war against civilians. The systematic shooting of men, women, children, and the elderly is reminiscent of the behaviour of callous, dehumanised storm troopers. As these killers go house to house and shoot the inhabitants it becomes evident that the last thing on their mind is to look for military targets. As they attacked a dance music festival in the desert in southern Israel attended by hundreds of young people, they roamed about with their automatic weapons shooting anybody in their sights.

Usually when a soldier kills a civilian—intentionally or otherwise—they try to hide the body or find an excuse for their action. Killing civilians is not what real soldiers do and therefore they are likely to fear being exposed for their shameful action. Hamas fighters operate to a very different standard. They take pictures of the civilians they have murdered and stand next to their victims with a look of pride.

Hamas fighters laugh and cheer as they show off their kill: the naked body of an Israeli woman to their followers in Gaza. There is no shame here—only a self-satisfied display of triumphalism.

The taking of civilian hostages is bad enough. But when they parade young women and old ladies on the streets of Gaza and invite onlookers to jeer and spit at them, it feels as if we are watching a scene from a very dark, barbaric era.

For the individual killers showing off their kill, it is enough that the dead bodies of civilians are piling up. But for their organisation, Hamas and its Iranian backers, the mass murder of civilians serves a higher purpose. Their war against civilians is meant to intimidate and send out the message that no one in Israel is safe. The purpose of murdering civilians and taking them hostage is to strike a blow at Israel’s morale.

Watching videos of civilians being violated and killed, I could not help but feel anger and rage. But what angered me the most was not the unfolding barbaric drama in southern Israel but the sight of groups of people cheering Hamas’ action on the streets of Europe and North America. In Berlin, London, and elsewhere groups of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags celebrated Hamas’ war against unarmed civilians. Newly arrived migrants in Greece, and so-called asylum seekers, cheered on the attack from Gaza. I could not avoid asking the question, “if this is how these asylum seekers really feel what other kind of depraved attitudes will they export into Europe? That they take so much pleasure from the murder of civilians should lead sensible Europeans to ask the question of ‘what kind of people are we letting into our communities?'”

Israel is facing a crisis that may lead to an all-out regional war. At present, it is Israelis who are the target of a new form of barbaric warfare. But should Hamas score a major victory, the repercussions will be felt outside of the Middle East. The civilisational conflict enveloping Israel will become globalised and Europe will be its first stop. That is why we need to step up and demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Israel.