The terrorist organization Hamas, through more than two weeks of conflict, proved that deception is among its expertise, as it led many to believe that it is fighting for freedom and is not sowing mayhem.
Its Charter, however, has the elimination of all Jews through a holy war or jihad as one of its objectives.
Even after dominating the Palestinian Parliament, Hamas is classified as a terror organization by Canada, New Zealand, Israel, Egypt, Japan, the European Union, Australia, Jordan and the United States.
A bit late, the country, nonetheless, seeks the designation of Hamas as a terrorist group under Philippine laws.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the tagging of the terror group will be a priority agenda of the Anti-Terrorism Council after the savage 7 October surprise attack on Israel.
The assault on peaceful civilian communities was not the first atrocity committed by the group.
Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, data showed countless bloodletting attributed to Hamas.
The group was responsible for the Haifa bus suicide bombing on 5 March 2003, which killed 17 people. On 12 June 2014, Hamas terrorists kidnapped and later murdered three Israeli teenagers, for which Operation Brother’s Keeper and Operation Protective Edge were launched.
Since Hamas’ control of the Gaza Strip, it has used civilian facilities as training grounds for its terror campaign or as cover for its lairs.
IDF discovered that Hamas converted a five-story building, originally meant to be used as a national library and provides offices for government services and housing, into a terror training facility.
The building had a tunnel dug underneath it for underground warfare training. The IDF struck it following Hamas’ firing of several rockets at Israel.
Other Hamas military infrastructure was put up near neighborhoods, including next to schools and mosques.
IDF said Hamas solicits funds from international financiers supposedly to uplift the lives of Palestinians but misuses these to buy arms and other activities in support of their terror campaign. Such investments based on IDF investigations included over $120 million since 2014 in materials to build terror tunnels leading into Israel.
The indiscriminate firing of rockets at Israel, Hamas, and its allies usually hits civilian facilities in Gaza, such as the cause of the deadly explosion at the Gaza hospital that killed scores of people.
“Hamas operatives don’t aim at precise targets, they simply fire rockets and don’t care if it harms their people,” according to IDF.
Hamas came to power through an election, which is now believed it merely exploited to rule the Gaza Strip through terror.
In January 2006, after Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip, removing all communities and military installations, Hamas took part in the Palestinian Parliamentary Elections and won a majority of 76 seats, making it the ruling power.
After a failed attempt to merge with its rival political party, Fatah, which lost the initial elections against Hamas, violence between both parties escalated into a bloody fight.
IDF said people were thrown off rooftops, and public executions occurred in the bitter political rivalry.
Since March 2018, Hamas has instigated riots, which it paints as peaceful and widespread protests. “Infiltration attempts and the use of arson kites and firebombs have taken place during the riots. Since the Gaza Strip is half a mile away from Israeli communities, infiltration would endanger Israeli civilians,” the IDF said.
Hamas intended to use Gaza civilians as human shields and covers for infiltration attempts and terror.
IDF said the world should know the true character of Hamas to understand the constant terror inflicted on Israel and the poor state of the Gaza Strip under its helm.
Let the world not fall to the temptation and seduction of evil.