BBC World Service discusses the role of Hamas in Gaza
April 2025
In all the reporting of the war in Gaza and the mounting death toll, we seldom get to hear much about Hamas, the organisation largely in control. Their name is frequently mentioned but beyond that, we hear very little. On the BBC’s World Service (24 April) there was a discussion about this group and its future.
Protests against them are mounting with people reportedly shouting things like ‘Hamas is garbage’ and ‘All Hamas out’. Speaking out against the group is dangerous the programme notes as such people are beaten, tortured or killed for daring to protest. Particular instances were quoted of people murdered or violently attacked and there were interviews with some in hiding or in other parts of the world.
There has been an instance where a local community in the north of Gaza who’s local residents prevented Hamas from firing rockets. Despite firing on the crowd, the gunmen were successfully driven out.
An organisation called the Centre for Peace Communications has representatives in the area who over a period of 4 years have been interviewing people to establish their views. They report that opposition to Hamas has swelled and many are blaming them for the tragedy and destruction following October 7th. There is a preference for the PLO and a desire for Hamas to cease being a ‘governing actor’. It was interesting to note that young people felt this way. Joseph Braude of CPC made clear that people are anti both Hamas and Israel. This does not absolve Israel from responding in the ways it has and the disproportionate destruction it has wrought on the territory and its people.
Overall, Hamas is now considered to be ‘very weak’. Having suffered terribly over the past 18 months one can sympathise with people living in the increasingly desperate circumstances and their anger at the people who have brought this upon them.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 
Thanks for this, Peter. Interesting and confirms what we suspected. (I would have commented on the site, but WordPress won’t let me!) A
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Dear Peter,
We rarely hear from Hamas itself because our Government has proscribed it as a terrorist organisation and many of the leaders are dead. They did indeed provoke terrible reprisals against their own civilians but do we know what their intentions were ?The P.L.O was responsible for the suicide bombings until it abandoned the policy and the P.A has pursued a policy of appeasement which has not protected the West Bank. I do not believe that either violence or appeasement will deter the present Israeli government from their oft stated aims. October 7th was their golden opportunity and, in my view, the Israeli government bears some responsibility for what happened.
I take some comfort from the protests against Netanyahu in Israel itself but it is all far too late and I fear that we will all carry the guilt of this terrible genocide for many years to come.
Best wishes,
Val
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Dear Peter,
This is a post script: I understand that Hamas has applied to our Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (on 8th April) to have the proscribed status removed on various grounds including that the status makes it more difficult to reach a political settlement and that part of Hamas is a civil administration and therefore should not be criminalized in its entirety. ( The armed wing was proscribed in 2001 but the civil wing was not proscribed until 2021 by Preti Patel) Yvette Cooper has 30 days to respond. The lawyer supporting the application but not Hamas, which would be illegal, is Daniel Grutters who is British and from his accent could be from Northern Ireland.
Best wishes,
Val
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