Dogs are eating the bodies of the dead… is there anything worse than that?” says F, a 60-year-old resident of Gaza.
This is not a metaphor – it’s a glimpse into the daily nightmare now unfolding in the Gaza Strip two years after the designated terror group Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
After two years of war, residents of the Palestinian enclave, like F – who spoke to The Jerusalem Report on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals from Hamas – are still struggling to fully grasp what their lives have become after the militant group’s devastating decision to attack Israel with unspeakable brutality on October 7, 2023.
Facing deep despair and relentless hardship, many describe the current reality as a total nightmare – something they never imagined they would experience, even in their worst dreams.
Gaza is no longer the place they once knew. Even those who manage to cling to hope are finding it hard to imagine what the future holds. Some believe they have reached a critical point where real change is not only necessary but inevitable.
Hamas’s betrayal
For many Gazans, it’s not just about ending the fighting or reaching a ceasefire. Their focus is on what comes next: the difficult process of picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives from scratch in what they now call the “new Gaza.” This means finding safety and stability – and, perhaps most importantly, ending the catastrophe they have endured once and for all. The feeling of betrayal by Hamas looms large. For 17 years under the terror group’s rule, Gazans were told that “resistance” would protect them and serve the Palestinian cause. Sacrifice, they were told, was sacred and worthwhile.
But now, after suffering the disastrous outcomes of Hamas’s murderous venture, many have begun to ask hard questions: Was it worth the price? For whom were the sacrifices made? What was the real purpose?
“Gaza has turned into hell, Hamas led us to this hell. Nothing is left, people have lost everything they had, and for what? What did we get out of all this? Nothing but death and destruction,” said F, who resides in a refugee camp with his family in central Gaza.
“Dogs are eating the bodies of dead people that have been thrown away in the streets, and you can also see body parts scattered all over. Is there anything worse than that?” he said.
“We have been in a mental depression for two years. Sometimes people feel that they’d rather die than live in this ongoing inconceivable suffering,” F added, emphasizing, “In the moment of truth, Hamas wasn’t there to help the people defend themselves. We’ve been misled.”
Openly acknowledging that the Islamic terror organization failed to achieve its goals, the Gaza resident called Hamas leaders “liars” and referred to October 7, 2023, as “a dark day.”
“Failed and silly leaders have brought us to where we are today,” F said. “We have to be honest. Attacking Israel was a big mistake made by Hamas and cannot be fixed – it’s irreversible.”
However, he also said, “Israel has to stop the bombardment. Every day, people are killed. It’s crazy.”
“I can’t tell you exactly what people want now and where they stand politically and ideologically. They themselves hardly know,” he continued. “When you are hungry, thirsty, and mentally drained, lacking basic human living conditions or any certainty about the future, you reach a moment when you stop thinking or feeling what’s right.
“Your mind is not occupied with questions like revenge or who we want to be governed by. I just know that people now don’t love Hamas.”
Disillusionment and fear
According to F and other Palestinians interviewed by The Jerusalem Report, while Hamas has clearly lost much of its former power and popularity, its influence remains deeply embedded in the minds and lives of many Gaza residents. “The organization still has some degree of presence in Gaza, though much less than before,” said Omar, who fled with his family from Gaza City last month.
Asked to be identified by his first name only, Omar continued: “That means that people are still being cautious and avoiding messing with the group’s militants or affiliates.”
He pointed out that some of Hamas’s former civil society workers are still operating to provide basic services, which has helped to prevent greater anarchy.
“People don’t want Hamas’s presence, but there is no choice because it contributes to maintaining a minimum level of order in this state of mass fauda [“anarchy”],” Omar added.
On some occasions, he noted, Hamas members have hidden out of shame to avoid encountering suffering residents who blame the organization for their dire situation.
“When you walk in the streets, you can hear people cursing Hamas. Some of those who supported the movement and expressed joy at the beginning are now saying that what Hamas did was insane,” Omar said.
Hamas’s dual image
Despite the disillusionment voiced by many, other Gazans – including some on social media – still express support for Hamas’s ideology. Online posts describe the October 7 attack as “the historic heroic defeat inflicted by Hamas on the Zionist entity.”
“Two years into the war, we still don’t see a ‘Palestinian spring’ against Hamas in Gaza,” said Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University, referring to the Arab Spring uprisings that took place in some Arab countries in the early 2010s.
Milshtein noted that while some Gazans have demonstrated during the war, these protests have been limited in size and impact. Most residents continue to refrain from openly opposing Hamas.
This hesitancy, he explained, is likely driven by two key factors.
“First, people are afraid of Hamas members and lack the ability to come out and challenge its rule. Second, some Gazans still support the movement, even though it has brought disaster upon them,” Milshtein said.
“Hamas is still embedded in the Palestinian public in Gaza, and there is deep sympathy for the group and its ideology,” he added.
Though Hamas has been significantly weakened since October 2023, Milshtein believes it remains the dominant power in Gaza.
“Hamas is not the same organization it was before October 7. It is much weaker now, but it has managed to survive. Although it has suffered major blows, it is still the dominant power in Gaza,” he said.
“They keep fighting and continue to enforce governance over what remains of the civic space. For example, Hamas still controls the religious apparatus and what is left of the education system.”
Milshtein attributes this to the DNA that characterizes the radical Islamic organization.
“Alongside its relentless ideology, the movement is very flexible – its members know how to adapt to new circumstances. Moreover, Hamas has kept its decision-making system working,” he said.
No way out
Trapped between war and Hamas, Gazans say it is unlikely that Hamas’s core militants will surrender in the humiliating way Israel – or the US leadership – expects.
“We want this war to be over; and for this to happen, a diplomatic solution is needed,” Omar said, adding that residents in the enclave “would accept any governing body that will restore their dignity and get them out of this prolonged bloody tragedy.”
Dana Shimon, The Jerusalem Post
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