On October 7, 2023, the Nova music festival was held close to the border of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants violently interrupted young attendees dancing and enjoying the outdoors while listening to a concert. Unprovoked, these terrorists raped, beheaded, and tortured these people for no reason other than to start a war with Israel. Among the two hundred fifty people taken, half were of foreign or multiple citizenships. One hundred sixty-eight hostages returned alive to Israel. Eighty-three abducted individuals died either during the initial assault or while they were in captivity. Among these, women and children as young as eight months old were viciously murdered.

Hamas knew Israel would retaliate with great force. And they did. The Jewish nation believes today, as they did yesterday, that destroying Gaza is necessary to eliminate the terrorists. Unfortunately, civilians will have to die. Just as the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. in World War II, Hamas attacked Israel. The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in retaliation, destroyed two cities, and killed over 110,000 individuals; civilian casualties are a given.

Many people believe Hamas intended for the international community to condemn Israel. They knew they would gain support and sympathy from American youngsters.

Hamas, short for the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a Palestinian group that is both political and militant, following Sunni Islam. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin founded it in December 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Established during the outbreak of the First Intifada (uprising) against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, its 1988 charter called for the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in historic Palestine.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Oslo Accords recognized Israel. By doing so, Hamas escalated the conflict through a campaign of suicide bombings.

In 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian legislative elections. After violent confrontations with the secular Fatah party, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, dividing Palestinian governance.

Over the next twenty years, the group’s unwillingness to acknowledge Israel has resulted in ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza and military clashes between the two countries.

Hamas issued a revised political document that accepted an interim Palestinian nation along pre-1967 borders, though it maintained its refusal to recognize the State of Israel.

With a surprise attack by Hamas in late 2023, the conflict between Hamas and Israel has resulted in the deaths of many Hamas leaders. Following U.S.-mediated peace plans, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire and hostage exchange.

The United States and the European Union classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, yet Iran and Turkey continue to provide the group with governmental and financial backing.

Hamas’s principles combine Palestinian nationalism with strict Islamic views. The conflict with Israel is both a fight for freedom and a holy duty.

Hamas wants to liberate all of historic Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which they see as a permanent Islamic territory. They view Israel as an illegal occupying power and reject its right to exist.

Hamas separated itself from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) by rejecting peace negotiations, the Oslo Accords, and any compromise that surrenders Palestinian land.

In its updated 2017 policy document, Hamas stated it would accept a sovereign, independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders as a formula of national consensus. However, this accommodation is tactical; the group continues to refuse any official recognition of Israel’s legitimacy.

Hamas, which started with the Muslim Brotherhood, wants Islamic law to shape Palestinian laws and society. Its motto states that the Quran is its constitution.

This organization maintains that it rejects peaceful or political solutions as insufficient.

Hamas believes that sacrificing one’s life to free their land is the highest religious honor.

The founding 1988 Hamas Covenant contained antisemitic rhetoric, employing conspiracy theories to accuse Jews of global manipulation and calling for their violent eradication.

The revised 2017 document adjusted this stance, drawing a line between the Israelite religion and the political ideology of Zionism. Hamas stated its conflict is with the “Zionist project” rather than the Jewish people because of their faith. Experts and global watchers see this language change as a PR tactic, not a real shift from its hateful aims.

The group sees the Palestinian struggle as vital for Arab and Islamic regions, which is why it partners with nations such as Iran.

One question on people’s minds is: if the Palestinians are so innocent, why don’t other Muslim countries want large numbers of asylum seekers in their country?

For Egypt, allowing a massive influx of people from Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula poses a severe military threat. Egypt’s government is worried Hamas fighters might hide among refugees in Sinai to launch attacks on Israel. This would jeopardize the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty.

Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. These governments are resistant to importing an Islamist political movement that could destabilize their own regimes.

Jordan already has a majority-Palestinian population. In 1970, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) tried to overthrow Jordan’s King Hussein. This attempt led to a bloody civil war, known as “Black September,” before Jordan expelled the PLO to Lebanon.

Palestinian fighters went to Lebanon and upset its fragile religious balance, starting the harsh Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

Because historical attempts to host large numbers of politically active Palestinian militants ended in internal warfare, regional rulers view mass intake as a direct threat to their own survival.

Why do certain groups fail to recognize the danger this terrorist organization poses?

The division in American public opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stems from different political lenses, past accounts, and media consumption habits. The debate in the United States rarely centers on a single set of facts; instead, it is driven by competing ethical, historical, and strategic frameworks.

Two core narratives divide the American public, and both stem from deeply held values.

Many Americans view the issue through the lens of national security, long-standing alliances, and the global fight against terrorism. Israel is under perpetual threat from enemies in its region and groups like Hamas. Supporters mention Hamas’s original charter, its history of suicide bombings, and the violent events of October 2023. The people who stand with Israel think it’s okay to weaken terrorist bands. They also believe that Arab countries not taking in refugees shows how dangerous these militants are.

Younger generations view the conflict through the lens of civil rights, anti-colonialism, and systemic oppression. It covers the long occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip blockade, and the terrible impact on Palestinian civilians. These countries won’t accept refugees to avoid being part of the forced removal and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

The modern media landscape plays a massive role in shaping what Americans see. Cable networks, newspapers, and digital outlets often curate different versions of the conflict. One news source may focus on the rocket attacks and Hamas’s views. Another might highlight the civilian casualties, damaged buildings, and food shortages in Gaza.

Platforms like TikTok, X, and Instagram use algorithms that feed users information that aligns with their existing biases. An individual who advocates for Palestinians encounters a continuous flow of images of innocent people suffering. This creates echo chambers where neither side exposes themselves to the context or data driving the other’s viewpoint.

This conflict has become polarized along American partisan lines, turning it into a domestic political issue. The Conservative and Republican parties back the Israeli government, viewing it as a partner in Judeo-Christian culture and an essential defense against Middle Eastern terrorism. The Democratic Party and the left-wing factions face considerable division. Even though leaders support Israel, a growing group of progressives sees the Palestinian fight as part of global justice movements.

Americans interpret the actions of Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan differently, depending on their existing beliefs. Some believe the border closures show neighboring states acknowledge the heavy radicalization of the people of Palestine and view importing them as too great a domestic security threat.

Others see the blockades as the Arab governments state them: a diplomatic stand to prevent Israel from permanently emptying the Palestinian territories, which would effectively destroy any hope for a future, independent Palestinian state.

With history explored and beliefs understood, one would predict unified thinking. The LGBTQ+ community has been the most baffling. Their continued support of Hamas and Gaza is met with what they consider a humanitarian effort. But they fail to see the horrifying truth: Hamas condemns same-sex attraction, categorizing it as a severe moral transgression and criminalizing it under its governance in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, which adheres to a rigid application of Islamic law, considers homosexuality a sin.

The group enforces this stance through legal codes, systemic violence, and strict social policing. In Gaza, Hamas uses old British laws and its own inflexible interpretation of Islamic law to make homosexual conduct illegal.

The law treats “Acts against the order of nature” between men as felonies punishable by up to ten years in prison. For LGBTQ+ individuals under Hamas, the dangers include execution, floggings, and honor killings, not just jail time.

In 2016, human rights groups focused on Hamas after it executed Mahmoud Ishtiwi, a top military figure in the group. Hamas detained, severely tortured, and ultimately shot Mahmoud Ishtiwi to death after accusing him of “moral turpitude,” which included allegations of same-sex relations. UN Watch and comparable organizations have gathered stories from gay Palestinians who fled Gaza. They detail how Hamas security forces use arbitrary arrests, physical abuse, hanging from ceilings, and psychological coercion to force individuals to name other homosexuals in the community.

When international associations operating in the region attempt to introduce human rights or anti-discrimination guidelines that protect sexual minorities, Hamas denounces them. For example, the group condemned United Nations (UNRWA) staff policies advocating for equal treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals, declaring the concepts a threat to Islamic values. Hamas leadership aligns itself in opposition to Western social norms, presenting its anti-LGBTQ+ stance as part of a broader ideological defense against Western cultural influence.

Hamas’s zero-tolerance policy eliminates public LGBTQ+ life, advocacy, and representation in Gaza. People in the area have to keep their sexual orientation secret to stay safe from Hamas security, violence from others in the community, and family members who might kill them to protect the family’s reputation. Many gay Palestinians have fled the Gaza Strip to seek asylum elsewhere.

Those who support these movements, such as Hamas backers and protesters in Palestine, don’t grasp its cause. This is a serious problem. These people do not understand the consequences of their actions. History is being abolished in colleges or twisted to fit a particular agenda.

Hamas has said they want to eliminate anyone who stands in its way. Just as Hitler was removed, Israel and the United States are erasing these evil men individually from existence. History is there for a reason. So no one repeats it. And though innocent people are being killed in Gaza, we need to remember: they started this fight, and Israel and the U.S. will finish it.

In remembrance of all the innocent lives taken on October 7, 2023, and September 11, 2001.

Editor: Lisa Mildon