Thousands of people on Sunday in the Gaza Strip attended the funerals of eight young locals who drowned off the coast of Tunisia almost two months ago while trying to escape the Hamas regime and head to Europe. The unfortunate deaths of the young men provoked rare public criticism of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Nahil Sha'at, the father of a 21-year-old son who was among the dead, told those attending the funeral "the government that controls us here is the reason. It is to blame. I blame all the officials here who do not take care of the young people or provide them with employment opportunities."
At the mass funeral, furious Gazans blamed Hamas for the drowning of migrants https://t.co/xENFMTA7Q6
— Alpes-Holidays (@AlpesHolidays) December 19, 2022
The Hamas narrative typically used as an excuse for 50% unemployment rates blames Israel and the siege on Gaza. However, an increasing amount of residents have begun to complain about the leadership of Hamas, citing the high taxes and a growing amount of leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, who moved abroad to more comfortable places with their families. "Our children are drowning in the sea and their children are enjoying luxury. It's not fair," said Sha'at's wife.
The eight young men who were buried, are all residents of Khan Yunis in the southern part of Gaza. These Hamas refugees join a list of about two dozen Palestinians who drowned in the last three months on their way to Europe. In recent years, thousands of migrants from poverty-stricken or war-stricken countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Afghanistan have perished in the dangerous Mediterranean sea.
Meanwhile in Gaza, Hamas arrested journalist Ahmad Saeed after he exposed how the Hamas-run crossing authorities coordinated with smugglers who took Palestinians to Libya and from there to Europe, with some drowning in migrant boat accidents. https://t.co/ZHbngfnItq
— Ari Ingel (@OGAride) November 8, 2022
Thanks to extremely high taxes and improper use of foreign funds, Hamas has put most industries in the Gaza Strip out of business. Even the few jobs that can be found are usually low-paying; while enlisting in Hamas’s military brigades remains one of the most beneficial options for men.
The bodies of the eight Palestinians who drowned were returned to Gaza through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border. Eight ambulances carried the bodies to a hospital, where thousands of mourners joined the mass funeral. The procession broke up into smaller funerals as each family took their son home for a final farewell before burial.
Blaming Israel for everything wrong in the Gaza Strip may fool many in the US, Canada & the UK but the Palestinians fleeing Gaza & their families who remain behind know the truth that it is Hamas that has brought them to the abyss including the sea in which they are now drowning. pic.twitter.com/8MAyk3u03i
— Rita Rosenfeld (@rheytah) November 16, 2021
Another family, Al-Shaar, buried their 21-year-old son Mohammed. His younger brother, Maher, 20, is still missing. They were on the same boat that sank. Their mother, Amina, blamed Hamas. "What do we see in Gaza? We only see oppression," she said. "They suffocate the young and the young run away because of their suffocation."
