Palestinian Arab-American activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib published a detailed social media post describing widespread abuses by Hamas, based on conversations he said he held in recent weeks with a broad cross-section of Gaza residents, including humanitarians, anti-Hamas activists, feminists, widows, divorced women, and members of Gaza's professional class.
Alkhatib wrote that every person he spoke with “shared the hardships they have been experiencing as a result of the past two years of a devastating Israeli war that has decimated the coastal enclave.” He said they reported that conditions have become "virtually unlivable" even after the ceasefire, as residents attempt to rebuild their lives.
He noted that he asked almost all of them: “Why are we not seeing a mass anti-Hamas movement, and why are we not seeing large-scale uprisings against the terror group?” According to his post, every person referenced fear of retaliation, describing what he called Hamas's use of intimidation and violence to silence critics.
Alkhatib wrote that “every single one has referenced the horror that Hamas carries out against those who have enough of a platform and dare speak out,” alleging that the group uses Gaza hospitals as interrogation centers and threatens opponents with “rods in their legs” if they speak out. He wrote that residents accused Hamas of breaking the legs of opponents, kidnapping men, assaulting relatives, and taking detainees to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
He further wrote that “none of the international humanitarian or ‘human rights’ organizations have said anything about the horrendous human rights atrocities being committed by Hamas against the Palestinian people of Gaza.” According to Alkhatib, these organizations only highlight violations when Israel is the alleged perpetrator, while ignoring similar or worse actions carried out by the terror group.
Alkhatib argued that this silence has "made a mockery" of human rights activism and called for a fundamental reassessment of the field. He wrote that Hamas should be treated as a central human rights concern, not only in the context of Israel's actions but as a direct threat to Gaza's civilian population.
He concluded by criticizing what he called a "blind obsession" with condemning Israel, while ignoring the "evils" of Hamas, which he described as backed by the Muslim Brotherhood and financed by the Iranian regime. He called on international organizations to acknowledge abuses committed by Hamas, writing that many have "fallen asleep at the wheel" since the ceasefire.