Hamas’s Real Fight Was Always for Hearts And Minds

How Are They Waging It? And Who Is Winning?

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When Hamas soldiers and Gazans, some committed fighters, others caught up in the euphoria of Jew-killing, stormed into Israel on October 7, what was their real objective?

Was this an operation designed to capture and hold territory, dismantle Israel’s military infrastructure, or even threaten Israel’s sovereignty?

Despite the horrific scale of the massacre, Hamas made no serious attempt to seize strategic locations, cripple Israel’s military capabilities, or establish a foothold within Israeli borders.

Was Hamas ever interested in military conquest?

Or did they know they could not win on the battlefield and only sought maximum propaganda effect—one meant to galvanise their base, bait Israel into a military response, and manipulate global perceptions?

Hamas took hostages, fully aware that the IDF would come for them, and counted on civilian casualties to serve as the centre of their media campaign.

Israel’s counterattack was a foregone conclusion, and Hamas knew that no country could accept living next to a government sworn to its destruction, let alone ignore the slaughter of its citizens and sweep such horror under the bloody rug.

Proportionally, what happened to Israel would have been as if 45,000 innocents in the US were slaughtered by invading Mexican cartel gangs, with 1500 hostages taken.

Would one person, let alone one country, call for proportionality or demonise the United States for raising hell and fighting back?

Hamas, though, knew that Western audiences would be swayed by images of Palestinian suffering rather than taking any serious and informed look at the root causes of the war itself.

Hamas’ entire strategy hinged on the expectation that Israel would be condemned for defending itself.

But no one openly says,

“We think Israel should have done nothing after their women and children were massacred. We believe they should live next to a regime dedicated to their annihilation.”

It would be absurd, but Western sympathisers implicitly expect this.

Or do they expect sanitised war in an urban environment where the enemy is in tunnels, practising guerilla warfare, and civilians are deliberately exposed to danger?

No army in history has had to face the environment that Israel faces against an ununiformed enemy. No army has tried harder to avoid civilian casualties. But still, there has been no end of uncredentialed urban warfare experts coming out of the woodwork.

But why does Israel need the aircraft and the big guns? Cannot the ISF conduct a house-to-house fight in Gaza and win?

No, not without suffering catastrophic losses due to several key tactical, strategic, and operational realities:

1. Urban Warfare Favors the Defender

Urban warfare is one of the most dangerous forms of combat for any military force, especially when facing an entrenched and prepared enemy like Hamas. Fighting house-to-house means advancing through a dense urban environment filled with booby traps, ambush points, and sniper nests. Hamas has had years to fortify Gaza with underground tunnels, hidden firing positions, and explosives designed to turn every street into a death trap. In such environments, defenders usually have a 3:1 advantage over attackers, making direct infantry assaults incredibly costly.

2. Hamas’ Extensive Tunnel Network (“Gaza Metro”)

Hamas has built an elaborate underground tunnel system to move fighters, weapons, and supplies undetected. This allows them to strike and then disappear, forcing Israeli troops to fight an enemy that can emerge anywhere without warning. These tunnels also allow Hamas to execute ambushes, set up traps, and even conduct cross-border attacks. Fighting underground is vastly more dangerous and complicated than traditional combat, requiring specialised forces and equipment.

3. IEDs and Booby-Traps

Hamas extensively uses Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which can be hidden in buildings, under roads, or inside seemingly abandoned homes. If Israeli forces were to clear Gaza on foot, every door they open could trigger a deadly blast. Many buildings are pre-rigged to collapse when entered, turning every assault into a potential massacre for Israeli troops.

4. High Civilian Casualties & Hamas’ Human Shield Tactics

Hamas deliberately embeds itself among civilians, using them as human shields. This means that even if Israel attempted to clear areas on foot, they would face not only hostile fighters but also civilians whom Hamas compels to stay in combat zones. This complicates operations and increases the risk of friendly fire, hostage situations, and international condemnation.

5. Air Power and Tanks Reduce Israeli Casualties

Given these dangers, Israel relies on air strikes, artillery, and tanks to soften targets before sending in ground troops. Air power allows the IDF to target enemy positions from a distance, reducing the risk to soldiers. Tanks provide heavily armoured firepower that can remove enemy strongholds while keeping infantry protected behind them. Without these tools, Israeli casualties would skyrocket.

6. The High Cost of House-to-House Fighting

Historical examples show how devastating urban warfare can be:

• The Battle of Fallujah (Iraq, 2004): The U.S. military lost hundreds of soldiers, clearing a single city, despite overwhelming firepower.

• The Battle of Stalingrad (WWII): Soviet and German forces suffered enormous casualties in brutal street fighting.

• The Battle of Mosul (2016-2017): Iraqi forces suffered heavy losses against ISIS, which used tunnels, suicide bombers, and snipers.

  

Gaza presents a worse scenario due to Hamas’ tunnel network, IEDs, and human shield tactics. If the IDF went only house to house, it would be a bloodbath.

Somehow, the world expected Israel to defy all historical conventions of war, not to protect its citizens and to allow their neighbour to massacre their grandmothers and children; it was always an expectation grounded in madness.

But there is always a double standard with the Jews.

So when Israel, a week after the massacres, did what it needed to do, Hamas could rely on its deeply entrenched propaganda networks to ensure that the debate would always centre on Israel’s response rather than on the war crimes and atrocities that Hamas itself had committed.

The tragic irony is that even as Middle Eastern nations refuse to absorb Palestinian refugees—a policy shaped by past Palestinian-instigated conflicts in Kuwait, Jordan, and Lebanon—Western activists continue to view Hamas’ version of events as uncritically as ever.

Assuming no military objectives, let us examine Hamas and their sympathiser’s propaganda methodology and assess their success.

How did Hamas and their Iranian (and undoubtedly other) overlords go about it? What was their main objective?

Of course, their goal was to sow the seeds of anti-Israel propaganda, to give repressed Western anti-Semites a licence to come out from under the shade of polite society so that they might throw anti-Semitic invective in Israel’s direction.

Again and again, of course, we see appalling double standards, the proverbial elephant in the room, a great beast who now has moved in permanently, and foolish Westerners, with some self-hating Jews amongst them, who are dead set on holding Israel to unique historical standards.

And defamers of Israel dare couch their criticisms of Israel as moral pieties, their lip-sticked pigs dressed in moral clothing.

Hamas, the Islamist militant group that governs Gaza, has spent decades crafting a sophisticated and highly coordinated propaganda campaign aimed at demonising Israel, inflating Palestinian victimhood, and deceiving the world about its actions.

They fight on television screens, news reports, and social media. Hamas understands that Western media thrives on emotion, and it deliberately engineers spectacles of suffering to manipulate international opinion.

Propaganda plays a critical role in this strategy.

Hamas and the Houthis use social media, AI-generated content, and staged imagery to manipulate public opinion and foster anti-Western sentiments.

For instance, Hamas has been accused of inflating casualty figures and fabricating scenes of destruction to garner international sympathy and demonise Israel.

Hamas’ and their Allies’ Propaganda Machinery: A Coordinated Effort

Hamas operates a well-organized propaganda department that includes:

• Al-Aqsa TV and Radio – Hamas-controlled media that broadcasts anti-Israel propaganda, glorifies terrorism and spreads conspiracy theories.

• Social Media Networks – Hamas actively operates on Twitter (X), Telegram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, using viral content to spread disinformation and incite violence.

• Western NGO and Media Outreach – Hamas exploits human rights organisations and journalists, selectively feeding them information while restricting independent reporting in Gaza.

• AI-Powered Content Manipulation – Hamas increasingly employs AI-generated deepfakes, bot-driven social media amplification, and automated messaging strategies to spread its narrative globally.

Hamas’ messaging is not random or reactionary—it is a carefully coordinated effort to control the narrative, ensuring that every Israeli military response is framed as an unprovoked “massacre” and that every Hamas casualty is described as an “innocent civilian.”

Hamas ensures that its people remain trapped in a cycle of violence—because their suffering fuels Hamas’ global narrative.

Their key techniques?

Exploiting Western Media with AI-Driven Propaganda

Hamas understands that Western media thrives on emotional storytelling rather than rigorous fact-checking. By using AI-powered fake news generators and social media bots, Hamas ensures that:

• Western journalists are bombarded with manipulated content before they can verify facts.

• Hashtags and viral trends make Hamas’ narrative appear more popular than it is.

• AI-generated talking points push pre-programmed narratives that flood news cycles before real investigations occur.

• Fake images of wounded civilians using AI-enhanced Photoshop tools.

• Deepfake videos of grieving families that never actually existed.

• Automated AI-generated news articles spreading false casualty reports.

The Rolling Stone article “How Hamas Is Using AI to Spread Propaganda” (October 2023) documented Hamas’ increasing reliance on AI-generated disinformation to fabricate news stories, fake casualty photos, and manipulate public perception before fact-checkers can debunk the lies.

Exploiting Western Sympathizers and Covert Operatives

Within Western societies, Iran and its proxies leverage sympathisers and, in some cases, covert operatives to further their agenda. While the term "plants" may overstate the level of organised infiltration, there are verified instances of individuals with ties to Islamist groups engaging in activities aimed at advancing their agendas in the West.

For example:

• Hezbollah Operations: In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice uncovered a Hezbollah cell operating in the United States, involved in drug trafficking and money laundering to fund the group’s activities. This case demonstrated how Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, has established networks in the West to support its operations.

• Hamas Fundraising: In 2004, the U.S. government shut down several charities, including the Holy Land Foundation, which were found to be funnelling money to Hamas. These charities were run by individuals who presented themselves as peaceful activists but were covertly supporting terrorism.

• Iran’s Influence Operations: A 2018 report by the U.S. Department of State highlighted Iran’s use of cultural and religious institutions in the West to spread its revolutionary ideology. The report noted that Iran has attempted to infiltrate academic and religious organisations to recruit sympathisers and spread anti-Western propaganda.

  

Cultural Indoctrination: How Hamas Programs an Entire Society

Hamas’ Educational System: Teaching Hate from Birth

Hamas does not just control Gaza militarily—it controls minds. The group has spent years systematically indoctrinating children into believing that violence against Jews is not just justified but a sacred duty. Hamas’ education system:

• Glorifies Jihad – Schoolbooks teach that killing Jews is an act of heroism.

• Uses Cartoons and Kids’ Shows – Hamas-run children’s TV programs show Mickey Mouse-like characters encouraging martyrdom.

• Encourages Child Soldiers – Hamas holds summer camps where children are trained in weapons use, combat tactics, and tunnel warfare.

  Tragically, when Hamas’s manipulated 14-year-olds are killed in battle, shooting at the IDF with RPGs - on their death, Hamas transforms them back into Lego-playing teenagers, a divine transformation.

  It is not sure if they get the full allotment of 72 virgins.

The Manipulation of Civilian Deaths

Hamas’ most effective propaganda tool is the suffering of its people. Unlike a traditional army, Hamas wants civilians to die because every dead Palestinian becomes a headline, a social media post, and a diplomatic weapon against Israel.

• Hamas deliberately embeds itself within civilian areas to maximise casualties.

• Storing weapons in hospitals and schools – The IDF has repeatedly found rockets hidden in UN-run schools.

• Firing rockets from residential neighbourhoods – Hamas ensures that Israeli counterattacks result in civilian deaths.

• Physically preventing evacuations – In past conflicts, Hamas has blocked roads and shot civilians trying to leave combat zones.

The Coordinated Plan: Iran, Hamas, the Houthis, and the Axis of Resistance

Iran, alongside its proxies Hamas, the Houthis, and other members of the "Axis of Resistance," is not merely stirring organic outrage but executing a deliberate, long-term strategy to undermine Western influence and establish a global order aligned with its ideological vision.

While we may look at Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei and assume he is an old, fanatical fool, behind him are well-educated, well-organized and sophisticated operational ministries.

Iran’s vision, rooted in revolutionary Islamist principles, seeks to challenge the existing international system and, ultimately, create a unified Islamic caliphate as dictated by their interpretation of holy scripture.

• Iran’s world vision is primarily rooted in Islamist ideology, particularly the Shi’a theocratic model established by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. While it is not explicitly Marxist, it strategically incorporates Marxist and leftist revolutionary rhetoric when it suits its geopolitical aims.

• Iran frequently uses anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist messaging, which mirrors Marxist rhetoric about Western exploitation, particularly against the U.S. and Israel.

• While Iran represses Tudeh, their own Communist party, they back groups like Venezuela’s socialist regime and leftist Palestinian factions (like the PFLP).

• Iran cooperates with far-left activists, anarchists, and communist organisations in the West to destabilise enemies like the U.S. and Israel.

• Iran funds propaganda networks that infiltrate leftist movements, framing its conflicts as “anti-colonial struggles,” which appeals to Western leftists.

• Iran itself is theocratic and conservative, meaning that any Marxist influence is purely instrumental.

Propaganda, covert operations, and the exploitation of Western sympathisers are central to this plan.

Iran’s support for groups like Hamas and the Houthis is well-documented. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) provides these groups with training, funding, and advanced weaponry, enabling them to conduct operations that destabilise Western allies and interests in the Middle East.

The Vision of a Global Caliphate

These groups' ultimate goal is not limited to regional dominance but extends to establishing a global Islamic caliphate. This vision is explicitly articulated in their foundational documents and public statements.

• Hamas: The Hamas Charter (1988) explicitly states, "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." While the charter focuses on the destruction of Israel, it also aligns with the broader Islamist goal of establishing Islamic rule globally. Hamas leaders have echoed this sentiment. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, has stated, "The resistance is not just about liberating Palestine but about restoring the Islamic ummah [global Muslim community] to its rightful place."

• The Houthis: The Houthi slogan, "Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam," reflects their alignment with Iran’s revolutionary ideology and their aspiration for a global Islamic order. Their leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has repeatedly emphasised the need to resist Western influence and establish Islamic governance, stating, "Our fight is not just in Yemen; it is a fight for the entire Muslim world."

• Iran: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has frequently spoken about the need to export Iran’s Islamic Revolution. In a 2015 speech, he declared, "The Islamic Revolution is not confined to Iran; it is a global movement that will eventually lead to the establishment of divine justice and the rule of Islam worldwide." This vision is further reinforced in Iran’s constitution, which calls for the "continuation of the revolution at home and abroad until the establishment of a unified Islamic world."

Has Hamas and their allies been successful in their war?

• Since the events of October 7, 2023, global attitudes toward Jewish people and Israel have experienced notable shifts, influenced by the ensuing conflict and its widespread coverage.

• A comprehensive survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), encompassing over 58,000 adults across 103 countries, revealed that approximately 46% of respondents harbour antisemitic beliefs.

• This statistic translates to an estimated 2.2 billion individuals worldwide.

• Notably, 21% of those surveyed either deny or are unaware of the Holocaust, with younger demographics increasingly questioning historical accounts. The ADL attributes this surge in antisemitism, in part, to recent conflicts in the Middle East.

• In the United Kingdom, antisemitic incidents have more than doubled over the past year. Approximately 40% of British adults believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the UK, up from 27% in 2014. This rise is linked to events such as the October 2023 attacks on Israel.

Shifts in Global Perception of Israel

The conflict has also influenced international perceptions of Israel. An Ipsos poll from October 20–23, 2023, indicated that 37% of British respondents wanted the UK government to act as a neutral mediator, while 13% supported Israel and 12% supported Palestine.

Many of the worst historical chants against Jews—some of which have been heard in recent anti-Israel protests—echo the rhetoric used in past eras of persecution, pogroms, and genocides.

Here are some of the most chilling examples that have resurfaced in the wake of October 7:

Note: these chants are not simply “anti-Israel” rhetoric—they are the same genocidal slogans used throughout history to incite violence against Jews. Their resurgence today reflects a disturbing normalisation of anti-Semitic hate speech, often cloaked in the language of “resistance” or “decolonisation.”

1. “Gas the Jews”

• This was one of the most infamous Nazi slogans, directly referencing the mass murder of Jews in extermination camps like Auschwitz.

• Shockingly, this chant has been heard at protests in Europe, particularly in Germany and the UK, despite laws against Holocaust denial and incitement.

2. “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free”

• This chant calls for the elimination of Israel, as it implies a Palestine that stretches from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea—leaving no room for a Jewish state.

• It was popularised by terrorist groups like Hamas and the PLO and is widely recognised as a call for the destruction of Israel.

3. “Khaybar, Khaybar, Ya Yahud, Jaish Muhammad Sawfa Ya’ud”

• Translation: “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.”

• This chant references the 7th-century Islamic conquest of Khaybar, a Jewish settlement in Arabia where many Jews were massacred or enslaved.

• It has been chanted at protests across Europe and North America as an implicit threat of violence against Jews.

4. “Kill the Jews” / “Death to the Jews” (Mawt lil-Yahud)

• This was a common chant during medieval pogroms, Nazi rallies, and modern anti-Semitic riots.

• Heard in pro-Palestinian protests in places like Sydney, where demonstrators outside the Sydney Opera House chanted, “Gas the Jews.”

5. “Intifada, Intifada!”

• A reference to the First and Second Intifadas, periods of Palestinian uprisings marked by suicide bombings and mass murder of Israeli civilians.

• When used in protests today, it is a call for renewed violent attacks on Jews.

6. “There Is Only One Solution”

• A phrase reminiscent of the Nazi “Final Solution” to exterminate the Jewish people.

• Variations of this have been seen in pro-Palestinian rallies where demonstrators imply the eradication of Israel and Jews.

7. “Yahudi Kalb” (Jewish Dog)

• A historical slur dating back to medieval Europe and the Islamic world used to dehumanise Jews.

• It has been shouted at Jewish students and protesters in recent months.

8. “Globalize the Intifada”

• This slogan has appeared in Western protests, particularly in the US, encouraging violence against Jews worldwide, not just in Israel.

9. “Go Back to Poland” / “Go Back to Germany”

• Heard in places like New York City and Paris, this chant tells Jews to return to the very countries where millions were exterminated in the Holocaust.

10. “Hitler Was Right”

• A horrific revival of Nazi ideology, often seen in social media comments and sometimes even spoken aloud at protests.

Conclusion

Hamas’ true enemy is not just Israel—it is the truth.

And it is time for the world to stop falling for its lies. And as Hamas and their confederates have said, after they are done with the Jews, they will come for the Christians.

This is not a Jewish issue, and the propaganda effort is not some organic outrage of uninformed Westerners; Hamas and their allies have a plan.

The more Palestinian blood spilt, the stronger the propaganda.

Hamas prefer a dead Jew, but a dead Palestinian is second best.

Hamas isn’t just playing a high-stakes poker game with human lives as their chips—it’s a rigged table where every ‘loss’ of a Gazan civilian is not a setback but a calculated move.

The billionaire bosses in Qatar pocket the financial winnings, while the ideological jackpot is an explosion of global anti-Semitism and Israel hatred.

The more suffering they manufacture, the more they cash in—both in offshore accounts and in the poisoned minds of the Western media consumers they’ve duped.

Even if the world sees peace on the ground in Gaza, the real war will continue; the West must not let their good faith and foolish assumptions of cultural relativism prevent them from seeing that our enemies have not gone away.

They have not changed the Hamas charter, and while they, like the cicadas, may seem to vanish periodically, the embers of anti-Semitic hatred smoulder long after the fire appears to be extinguished; all it takes is a gust of complacency to reignite the flames. Talk about changing metaphors midstream. Ouch.

We must be vigilant. It is a cost we must pay for a free society.

As abolitionist Wendell Phillips said in 1852, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”

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Note: Please message me if you see a typo or spelling mistake. I will give you a three-month free subscription. I just found two and am cringing and embarrassed. I'm glad I did that MA in Creative Writing and am making 8th-grade mistakes. I would never have been a copy editor. I find that Grammarly sometimes introduces errors.

References

1. Weimann, G. (2016). Terrorism in Cyberspace: The Next Generation. Columbia University Press.

2. Levitt, M. (2006). Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad. Yale University Press.

3. Orwell, G. (1949). 1984. Secker & Warburg.

4. Hamas Charter (1988): "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."

5. Ismail Haniyeh: "The resistance is not just about liberating Palestine but about restoring the Islamic ummah to its rightful place."

6. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi: "Our fight is not just in Yemen; it is for the entire Muslim world."

7. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (2015 Speech): "The Islamic Revolution is not confined to Iran; it is a global movement that will eventually lead to the establishment of divine justice and the rule of Islam worldwide."

8. U.S. Department of Justice (2015): Investigation into Hezbollah’s drug trafficking and money laundering operations in the U.S.

9. U.S. Department of State (2018): Report on Iran’s influence operations in the West.