The Moral Decadence of Hamas: From an Illusory Resistance to an Empire of Corruption and Repression (article)

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The Moral Decadence of Hamas: From an Illusory Resistance to an Empire of Corruption and Repression

Introduction

In the complex political landscape of the Middle East, the Hamas movement stands out as a unique phenomenon, not only due to the nature of its ideology or its methods of operation, but because of the stark contrast between the narrative it promotes of itself as a movement of "resistance" and "liberation," and the bitter reality it imposes on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and its regional environment. Behind the slogans of Islam and resistance hides a much darker truth: a terrorist organization transformed into a machine of corruption and plunder, of total dependency, exploiting the blood of children and the tears of mothers to finance its financial and political empire. Diving into the history of Hamas and its Al-Qassam Brigades, its military wing, reveals a black record that stretches from the embezzlement of donation money and international aid, to complete subservience to the Iranian project in the region, reaching the brutal repression of the people of Gaza themselves and the cowardly hiding behind them. This organization, which controls the fate of more than two million people, has proven that it does not care about their suffering, but rather uses it as fuel to perpetuate its bloody and corrupt project.

Chapter One: External Begging and an Internal Billion-Dollar Empire

The Hamas movement has always excelled in the art of soliciting emotions and financial aid from the Arab and Islamic worlds under the slogan of "Supporting Al-Aqsa" and "Relieving the People of Gaza." But behind these emotional campaigns hides one of the largest operations of fraud and financial corruption in the history of non-governmental organizations. While the population of Gaza suffers from a suffocating blockade, extreme poverty, and rampant unemployment, scrutiny of the financial accounts of the movement's leaders reveals colossal fortunes estimated in the billions, invested in real estate and commercial enterprises in Turkey, Qatar, and European countries.

The latest scandal shaking the Arab scene is the case of the "Waqf Al-Umma" (The Nation's Endowment), an Istanbul-based institution managed by prominent figures from Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Media reports and a furious campaign on social media revealed that this foundation embezzled about half a billion dollars from donations collected for the people of Gaza. Indeed, following the war that erupted in October 2023, Hamas leaders, starting with Khaled Meshaal, launched calls for "economic jihad" and "financial jihad," prompting thousands to donate generously. But leaked internal documents, purported to be from the movement itself, revealed that those responsible for "Waqf Al-Umma" appropriated this money for their "personal interests," an incident that an Emirati columnist described as not being "simply a case of corruption, but a recurring illustration of how the Muslim Brotherhood has operated for decades: using human tragedies to channel money through networks that are subject to neither state authority nor the constraints of financial oversight".

This is not an isolated incident, it's a consistent pattern. The movement that weeps for the people of Gaza and portrays them as victims of hunger and blockade owns a huge investment portfolio abroad. It is a movement of "organized begging" at the popular level, while its leaders enjoy wealth in the hotels of Istanbul and Doha and manage their money in the world's banks. The money that is supposed to build a hospital or buy flour for starving children turns into real estate investments and profitable projects that benefit the organization's leaders and their families. It's a glaring example of the total disconnect between emotional rhetoric and actual practice: they beg from people in the name of the hungry, while they are rich, and they collect donations for the needy, while they steal them.

Chapter Two: Subservience to Iran... When Palestine Becomes a Card in Regional Power Games

On the political and military level, Hamas lives in complete subservience to the Iranian decision. At the very moment the movement proclaims the independence of its national decision, facts on the ground show that its political leadership has become a mere tool in Iran's "export of the revolution" strategy. The regular meetings between Hamas leaders and Iranian regime officials, such as the meeting that brought together Khalil al-Hayya and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Doha, are not just fleeting political coordination, but rather proof of complete tutelage. Hamas and Iran exchange thanks and praise; Iran salutes the "legendary resistance of the Palestinian people" in exchange for its support of the "legitimate resistance," while Hamas leaders thank it for the support of the Iranian leadership, government, and people. This Iranian support, which comes in the form of money, weapons, and training, has an exorbitant price.

This price consists of transforming the movement's priorities, from serving the Palestinian cause to serving the agenda of the "Axis of Resistance" led by Iran. The battle of Hamas is no longer a battle for the liberation of Palestine, but has become part of a broader regional conflict aimed at enhancing Iranian influence. The presence of the Hamas leadership in Doha's hotels and palaces, while its decisions are dictated from Tehran, makes it just another "Iranian expeditionary force," whose mission is to bleed Israel whenever Iran deems it serves its interests, regardless of the price paid by the people of Gaza with their blood. Palestinian freedom is not a goal, but a bargaining chip in a major regional game, and the Gazan citizen is its first and last victim.

Chapter Three: Cowards... Hiding Behind Women, Children, and Civilians

On the battlefield, the Al-Qassam Brigades adopt a "jihadist" discourse full of courage and sacrifice, but the field reality paints a completely different picture: that of a cowardly organization that hides behind the backs of defenseless civilians and uses them as human shields. It's a systematic and entrenched strategy, based on setting its ambushes and launching its rockets from the heart of densely populated residential areas, transforming hospitals and schools into military barracks, and digging its tunnels under entire neighborhoods. The goal is clear: to lure the Israeli army into a confrontation in a civilian area, and when that happens, the civilians are the first victims.

This is not just a military tactic, it's a fully-fledged war crime. Hamas not only hides behind civilians, but wants them to pay the price with their lives to score political and media points. It bets that images of destruction and death will garner it global sympathy and put pressure on Israel. The Gazan child and the Gazan woman have become the fuel for a war waged by a leadership living in luxury hotels outside the Strip. That is cowardice in its truest sense: trading in the blood of your own people and hiding in the shadows while leaving women and children in the line of fire. The fighter who claims courage does not hide behind women's skirts, but faces the danger himself.

Chapter Four: Repression and Arrogance... A Police State Security System Against Its Own People

The repressive face of Hamas is not limited to the external enemy, but extends to the people it claims to protect. Since its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, the movement has imposed a repressive police regime that tolerates no dissenting voice. The police force of Hamas's Interior Ministry was not created to protect the citizen, but to discipline and silence them. As specialized reports indicate, Hamas has repeatedly used this force to arrest political opponents and commit human rights violations against local Gaza residents who challenge the terrorist group.

And following the announcement of a truce, the true face of this organization was revealed when it launched a brutal campaign to tighten its grip on the Strip. Instead of focusing on reconstruction or alleviating suffering, it began a bloody campaign to eliminate its internal opponents, particularly the armed Palestinian clans that rose up against its policies. Reports spoke of violent clashes in the streets of Gaza, summary executions, and widespread arrest campaigns under the slogan of "purification before liberation." Neighborhoods in Gaza witnessed battles between Hamas and entire families, such as the Doghmush family, resulting in dozens of deaths. Hamas did not hesitate to kill those it labels as "collaborators" and "traitors," and very often, these are simply citizens who raised their voices against its corruption or against its policies that bring destruction upon the Strip. This is their black history: killing Palestinians in cold blood for the simple reason that they disagreed with them, or refused to be an instrument in their hands.

Chapter Five: Moral Corruption and Stealing the Poor's Bread

But perhaps the most heinous face of moral decadence is Hamas's exploitation of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza. At a time when millions suffer from hunger and food shortages, Hamas works to plunder this aid and sell it on the black market at exorbitant prices unaffordable to the poor. Recent security investigations in Europe have uncovered a complex network of fictitious charitable organizations, which receive millions of euros under the pretext of helping Palestinians, only to transfer them to finance Hamas's military wings. In a major Italian security operation, it was discovered that nearly 7 million euros (£6.1 million) were funneled to entities linked to Hamas, hidden in shipments of medical aid. This is not "aid," but terrorist financing under the guise of humanitarianism.

As for the situation on the ground in Gaza, the scenario is even crueler. Hamas accuses Israel of hindering aid, while it itself puts sticks in the wheels to prevent it from reaching the poor. After seizing control of aid convoys, it sells them to its merchants, who then resell them to citizens at extortionate prices. This is the model of the "failed state" run by a militia: besiege your people and starve them, then sell them the morsel of bread that arrived as aid, and pocket the profits to finance your wars and the wealth of your leaders. It's a double theft: stealing money from donors, and stealing food from the hungry. This is the moral abyss into which Hamas has sunk, where the blood and suffering of the hungry are transformed into a lucrative commodity and juicy profits.

Chapter Six: Cronyism and Administrative Corruption... The Rule of the Single Family

In Gaza, as in many totalitarian regimes, no position is free from cronyism, and no decision is made without mediation. Hamas has transformed the Gaza Strip into a vast "family project," where positions and gains are distributed to loyalists and the sons of leading families. Competence is no longer the criterion for working in the government institutions run by the movement, but the degree of loyalty to the organization and its leaders. This rampant administrative corruption destroys any hope of building sound national institutions and prevents any real service delivery to the citizen.

The most disgusting aspect, however, relates to the personal lives of some organization leaders. At a time when they claim adherence to Sharia and Islamic virtue, many of them live in luxury and opulence abroad, maintain dubious relationships, and treat Muslims' money as if it were personal gain. They trade in religion and morality in their Friday sermons, while their personal behavior and financial practices are the very image of the most odious forms of wild capitalism. They are a new elite of "warlords" who don the cloak of religion to cover their moral flaws and financial corruption.

Conclusion: Hamas is Not a Resistance but a Project of Ruin

In the end, this black history reveals an undeniable truth: the Hamas movement is not a resistance movement, but a project of comprehensive ruin. A project of ruin for the Palestinian people, who pay the price for its failed military adventures and corrupt financial policies. A project of ruin for morality and values, where Islamic principles are transformed into hollow slogans to justify murder, plunder, and repression. A project of ruin for the just Palestinian cause, which has turned from a cause of national liberation into a card in the game of regional axes.

Hamas has proven to be the primary enemy of the Palestinian people. It is the one that represses their voice, steals their food, hides behind their children, and trades in their blood. It is the one that mortgages the future of Gaza's children to Iran's expansionist projects and the corruption of its leaders settled in luxury hotels. Before Hamas demands the rights of Palestinians, it must apologize to them for thirty years of deception, repression, theft, and destruction. And it must realize that the Palestinian people, who have sacrificed what is most dear for their homeland, will never accept being the fuel for a corrupt project directed from abroad in the name of religion and resistance.