“Hamas is now selling our aid supplies on the black market” Donald Trump unexpectedly leaves the courtroom for a short time

Mr Hawidi, where are you currently?
Hamza Hawidi: I am currently in a refugee camp in Greece and am applying for asylum.​

When did you leave Gaza?
Already in August. I participated in the “We want to live” protests in Gaza against Hamas in the summer of 2023 and March 2019. I was subsequently arrested and tortured twice. The Arab media completely ignored these demonstrations, which I strongly condemn. Even after my arrest, I was repeatedly threatened by Hamas and had no job prospects in Gaza because I applied for jobs in the public sector but was not or did not want to be a Hamas member. This is a requirement for such functions.

To finally be able to leave for Egypt in four days instead of waiting three to four months for my application to be approved, I paid a $700 bribe in August. Then I went to Turkey and from there took the boat to Greece.

How is your family doing in Gaza?
My younger brothers and sister are not in Gaza. Both study at Egyptian universities. Unfortunately, the rest of my family could not escape Gaza. They left our house in the Al-Remal neighborhood after our neighborhood became uninhabitable and moved south of the Gaza Strip to Rafah, where they now live in a tent. Living conditions are catastrophic. For example, my brothers depend on international aid. However, they are usually stolen by Hamas and sold on the black market. Imagine that people in Gaza are currently being sold a bag of flour for 170 shekels (40 francs).

There is no donation to Gaza that Hamas does not benefit from. In 2012, Qatar donated apartments in a project called “Hamad’s City” in Khan-Younis for those who lost their homes during the war and could not buy new ones. After the project was built, Hamas started selling the apartments. Or in 2021, when Egypt donated a lot of relief supplies, these products were suddenly found in supermarkets owned by Hamas members.

How are you specifically committed to peace in Gaza?
Peace activism in Gaza is a fairly limited activism. I am in contact with Israelis and have conversations and of course participate in the demonstrations in Gaza. In Gaza it is difficult to get people excited about a peaceful idea because only a minority believes in peace and welcomes efforts in this direction. I long for the day when we can all live here together peacefully. The country is big enough for all of us and it could be a paradise on earth.

How does Hamas, the political leadership of the Gaza Strip, view your work as a peace activist?
Hamas has done everything it can to turn the idea of ​​peace into treason in the minds of its citizens and to make people believe that war is the only path to a Palestinian state. Hamas also has spies throughout Gaza. I experienced this in the case of another Palestinian activist, Rami Aman: when he and a small group of Gazans tried to hold talks with Israelis, they were immediately arrested. Someone in this group belonged to Hamas and betrayed them.

So in Gaza I was afraid to talk to Israelis. Any conversation with people from the ‘other side’ is considered ‘working for hostile parties’ and will result in arrest.

How much support did Hamas receive from the population until October 7? And has that changed?
Before October 7, people were upset and angry about Hamas’ policies and the economic situation. That is why there were protests against Hamas in Gaza three or four months before the attacks on Israel. And Hamas is aware that it has little popular support. This is most evident from the fact that Hamas does not allow elections.

In fact, Hamas always does the same thing when it loses support: it starts a war against “the greatest enemy”, as it always calls Israel, to exploit the fear of the Palestinians and show the people of Gaza that it is the only party is who can do that. apparently protecting them from Israel. Hamas is fighting because it fears for its prosperity. Not because she cares about the well-being of her people.

Are the Israeli hostages in Gaza a problem?
When this is discussed, it is primarily because the release of the hostages is a condition for a ceasefire. Sympathy for the hostages is only secondary, if at all.

In the West there are many pro-Palestinian demonstrations with large numbers of participants. The slogan ‘From the river to the sea’ became a point of discussion. Also the fact that Hamas is rarely or never criticized during these demonstrations. How do you see that?
I’m not sure if these people at such demonstrations are aware of what ‘From the River to the Sea’ really means. Throw millions of people into the water or somewhere else? While we all have roots in this country and deserve to live there in peace. I especially criticize the Arab media for the way they report on Hamas and condemn it when Hamas is portrayed as a ‘resistance movement’. A crime is and remains a crime, even if it is committed by a movement or a people that one supports.

What do you think needs to happen to end this war? And what should Israel and the Palestinians do now?
I cannot imagine an end to this conflict until all hostages have returned home and a new Palestinian leadership that respects its citizens can show how we can live together with our neighbors. And it must be a leadership that prohibits radical jihadist ideas. And Israel needs a government that pursues a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.

Do you think a peaceful neighborhood between Israelis and Palestinians is still possible?
This is not a matter of faith. It’s a must have. We have no other option.

(aargauerzeitung.ch)