Bassem Barhoum, a journalist for the Palestinian Authority daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, has written that the only hope for Gaza is that Palestinians in the Strip “rise up, take to the streets en masse and demand that Hamas release the [Israeli] hostages”.
In the August 9 article translated by media watchdog Memri, Barhoum said: “The Palestinian public in Gaza – all of it or at least most of it – must demand that Hamas withdraw from the entire political scene.
“This may be difficult and may involve some risk, but it is the only chance to avoid total devastation, killing and expulsion. If anyone has a different solution, let him share it with all of us… In my opinion, today this is the [only] feasible solution that may put a stop to the war."
The underlying problem, he wrote, was that Hamas did not think or act on the basis of national Palestinian interests but that it was instead aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamist movement’s regional allies.
