The Wall Street Journal: The popularity rise of Hamas in Gaza after the ceasefire hinders Trump’s plans
The Wall Street Journal noted that Hamas’s popularity among Palestinians in Gaza has risen since the ceasefire, challenging US President Donald Trump’s plan to bring peace to the Gaza Strip by disarming the armed movement.
Security is one of the key factors in this change, as last month, as the ceasefire took hold and Israeli forces withdrew, Hamas fighters reappeared on the streets as police and internal security forces, patrolling and targeting criminals.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including opponents of the movement, welcomed the decline in crime and looting.
Hazem Sorour, a businessman in Gaza City, said that “even those who oppose Hamas, the idea of security is something that people want, because we have seen a security collapse with thefts, thuggery and lawlessness… No one can stop it except Hamas, and that’s why people support them”.
Prior to the truce, more than 80% of humanitarian aid provided by the UN and its partner agencies was blocked or confiscated by armed gangs in Gaza, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Last month, thefts dropped to about 5% of shipments, according to the same office, which said this was due to more aid flowing in and Hamas’ Blue Police preventing crimes.
This decline in crime rates and continued support for Israel’s armed resistance has allowed Hamas to rebuild its image and impose tighter control over the Strip, as many Palestinians have begun to view the armed group with a more pragmatic view, according to polls, analysts, and Palestinians in various areas of Gaza.
In a poll published last month by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 51% of Gazans surveyed expressed positive views of Hamas’s performance during the war, up from 43% in May and 39% a little more than a year ago, with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
In a separate question about support for political parties in the theoretical elections, 41% of the people in Gaza said they support Hamas, an increase of 4 percentage points from the previous five months, the highest level of support since December 2023.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the growing Palestinian support for Hamas could complicate efforts to move the Trump plan to the second phase, which calls on the group to disarm and abandon any role in a future Gaza government.
Palestinians surveyed were divided on calling for Trump’s plan to disarm Hamas, with a slim majority of 55% opposed it and 44% supported, according to the same poll.
A slim majority of 52% of Gazans opposed the entry of an international force tasked with disarming Hamas.
