In a recent MEMRI report, moderate journalists and liberals from across the Arab world condemned Hamas and how they have abused the Israeli hostages. They are also highly critical of how Hamas has dined on wonderful food, while the people of Gaza starved.
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report published by MEMRI, “After Hamas released shocking videos showing the horrifying condition of two Israeli hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, Arab journalists and liberals harshly condemned the organization’s cruelty and its torture of the hostages. Posting on their personal X accounts, they also slammed the UN’s silence over these atrocities and called on the international community to decry them and help secure the hostage’s release.”
MEMRI added, “The writers stressed that Hamas circulated these videos to convince the world that there is a food shortage in Gaza, but its leaders, who feast in luxury hotels in Qatar and own fat bank accounts, are not really interested in the Gazan’s hunger but care only for their own survival. Some of the posts conveyed that the videos of the emaciated hostages prove that Hamas is not a resistance movement but a “cult of cruelty” that serves only its own interests and Iran’s, at the expense of the Palestinian people.”
In an August 2, 2025 X post, Egyptian author and journalist Dalia Ziada shared a picture of hostage Evyatar David, emaciated and trapped in a dark tunnel, and commented: “Hamas forced the starving Israeli hostage Evyatar David to dig his own grave, while filming it, believing that such scenes would manipulate the international community into sending more aid into Gaza. In reality, these videos only invite harsher war… However, Hamas does not care. They never truly cared about anything except the survival of their own militants. Why can’t the world see the truth? Hamas has been weaponizing human suffering – that of the Gazans and that of the Israeli hostages- to fool the world and make their commanders and militants survive! Rather than rewarding their terrorism by recognizing their illusory state, the world leaders need to help Israel free the hostages and the innocent among the people in Gaza from the pawns of Hamas and its sponsors. Enough with nurturing terrorism under the deceitful flag of supporting Gaza!”
Emirati liberal Amjad Taha also responded to the video of Rom Braslavski, writing: “…This isn’t just heartbreaking; it is a crime against everything decent left in this world. A hostage in Gaza, tortured and starved by Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, was filmed in agony. If you can watch that footage and still call it ‘resistance,’ then you’ve buried your humanity long ago. This is not a liberation movement; it is a cult of cruelty. Islamists don’t build nations. They build cages, graves, and propaganda. This is not justice. It is modern-day Nazism, with the camera rolling like they were proud of it, while the United Nations stays silent, too afraid to speak. This is not just evil. It is a performance of evil, endorsed by silence, applauded by cowards, and excused by fake activists. Shame on every self-righteous fool who celebrates this. Shame on every mouth that dares to call it “freedom.” And shame on the UN for being too scared, too compromised, or too useless to speak the damn truth.”
According to MEMRI, “Some of the writers lambasted Hamas’s leaders for pretending to care about the Gazans’ pain and hunger while they themselves are fat and rich and live in luxury hotels in Qatar.” Iraqi journalist Sufian Al-Samarrai, editor of the Iraqi news website Baghdad Post, shared a picture of Hamas officials with big bellies, and wrote: “Oh people [of Gaza], Hamas’s officials, whose bellies are swollen with Qatari bribes, are risking your lives. They pretend to weep over your hunger, while they dine on delicacies in the hotels and palaces of Doha.”
Saudi online influencer Abdullah Al-Tawila’i added “Money, bribes, stolen [humanitarian] aid, and fundraisers – that is what fuels the situation and allows the war to continue. If you knew how much [Hamas’s officials] are worth, you would realize the truth about what is going on… When will Hamas’s officials be pressured to expose their bank balances and those of their relatives?”
According to MEMRI, “Some writers mocked Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, who in an August 3 interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher called on the Gazans to bear their suffering patiently because “the countdown to Israel’s collapse has already begun.”” For example, Saudi writer Abd Al-Aziz Al-Khames commented: “[Ghazi Hamad] lives in a five-star hotel and wants the Gazans to bear their suffering patiently… He [himself] is patient with the menu and would like better falafel and humus.” Kuwaiti liberal Jassem Al-Juraid shared Hamad’s remarks and commented: “He is one of the filthiest creatures in the world.”
Photo from PBS NewsHour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lSYP1mo1m0
