Hamas Flips Narrative

We’re told in an article from World Israel News that Hamas is trying to co-opt the Nazi narrative for themselves:

In an official statement, Hamas asserted that Gaza is the “Auschwitz of the 21st century.”

Hamas is sounding off after Netanyahu said they were akin to the Nazis:

The statement was released in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the Yad Vashem Remembrance Center in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. During the speech, Netanyahu emphasized showing force and eliminating fanatical elements as an essential lesson of the Holocaust. He also compared the terror group that invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 people, took 250 captives, and carried out a campaign of torture and sexual violence to the Nazis.

The PM went on to say this:

Netanyahu recounted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, viewing footage of Hamas’s atrocities on October 7 and remarking, “They are exactly like the Nazis.”

He continued, “They [Hamas] are exactly like the Nazis. Like Hitler. Like Haman. They desire to kill and destroy all of the Jews,” said Netanyahu. “It’s not going to happen. We are going to completely destroy these Hamas monsters.”

Hamas explained their logic this way:

In Hamas’s statement, they insisted that they were the victims of Israel, despite the invasion of October 7, and wrote, “Those who weep for the victims of Nazism are now the masters of genocide in our time.”

Hamas added that “Netanyahu, who repeats ‘never again’ regarding the Holocaust, is the very one enacting one of the most horrific acts of genocide in our days.”

“This genocide needs no ovens — only modern Western weaponry — and is carried out in front of the entire world,” the statement continued.

“Fighting against this Zionist genocidal project is not only a legitimate right — it is a human duty,” Hamas’s statement concluded.

Hamas was responding to Netanyahu’s stated commitment to continue putting military pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and to destroy them as a political and military power in Gaza.

Netanyahu doubled down on Israel ridding the world of Hamas and stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons:

Netanyahu said, “I give you my word: the military pressure on Hamas will not let up. We are committed to bringing every captive home. We will defeat Hamas and stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. We will confront extremist regimes — and we will act in time. That is the core lesson of the Holocaust, and it is the lesson my father taught me, having witnessed the West’s silence in the face of the Nazi threat.”

Intense Fighting

According to a report from the Jewish News Service Israel is not letting Hamas breathe easy while hostage negotiations are ongoing:

The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) carried out two targeted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, eliminating terrorist operatives from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad who, according to the military, were directing attacks against Israeli forces and civilians.

The IDF gave specific details of the offensives starting with a command center they hit:

On Thursday, the IDF struck a Hamas-PIJ command and control center in Jabalia used to orchestrate terror operations. According to the IDF, “numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians,” including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and real-time intelligence.

Another site was yet another instance of the terrorists using a school for attacks:

A similar strike was carried out overnight on Wednesday, targeting a terrorist gathering inside a Hamas-PIJ command post embedded within the former “Jaffa” School in Gaza City. That site was also used to plan and execute attacks, military officials said.

As Hamas and others are moving to more urban guerilla tactics in this conflict, offensives like this will keep happening:

Both operations underscore ongoing concerns over the systematic use of civilian infrastructure by terror groups. “The terrorist organizations violate international law and exploit the civilian population as human shields,” the joint IDF-ISA statement said.

Unless a ceasefire occurs, the IDF insists they will keep fighting:

The military vowed to continue operations against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to protect the State of Israel.

As for me Hamas is on fumes now, but they are like a cornered animal that can still scratch and claw anyone coming against them. But that’s all they can do now. I do see Iran and all of its proxies making one last joint attack on Israel as detailed in the Psalm 83 war so things will get worse before they get better. As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem let’s add what we’ve learned now to that intercession list.