Maariv: This is what the Palestinians in Gaza thinks of Yahya Sinwar
A special analysis conducted by the business intelligence Bazzella company for Maariv newspaper, revealed that the leader of Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, still enjoys significant Palestinian support in the Gaza Strip.
The analysis showed that the public discourse on Arabic-language social media sites in Gaza was mainly positive toward Hamas in general and toward its leader in Gaza, and toward its leader Yahya Sinwar in particular during the past three weeks.
The Israeli media considered the positive public discourse towards Sinwar surprising.
The analysis pointed out that it’s possible to notice an increase in positive discourse towards Sinwar personally when threats against him from the Israeli side appear in the media.
For example, after the Israeli army spokesman stated that “the fighters will reach Sinwar alive or dead,” many reactions were seen on social media platforms in Gaza praising him as the person who surprised Israel, and that, despite all the intelligence that Israel possesses, he’s still gone.
In addition to the positive rhetoric, many comments appeared that held Israel responsible for the situation in Gaza, wished “the destruction of the Zionist enemy,” and prayed for the Palestinian people.
As the month of Ramadan began without the fighting stopping, many comments appeared praising Sinwar as someone who “stands firmly in the face of Israeli threats”.
The increase in positive rhetoric towards Hamas is also due to numerous reports stating that “Israel has apparently succeeded in liquidating Hamas Chief of Staff Marwan Issa”.
