Continuing from yesterday – Hamas is trying to get support (media and international) to bring about a complete cease-fire and stay in control in Gaza.
One way is by delaying release of hostages. The original exchange allowed for 2-4 days extension of the pause in the fighting in return for an additional 10 (or more) hostages being released each day. The original deal dealt only with women, children, and the elderly. Several non-Israelis with foreign passports {Thai and Filipino) were added by Hamas. Hamas has held on to at least 3 holders of both US and Israeli passports. They apparently feel this may give them more leverage with the US negotiators. The original deal also required that families (mothers and children) be released together. During the third exchange this clause was not honored and a girl was released without her mother. Hamas claimed they were unable to locate her.
There are also claims that some hostages are being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The PIJ only exists for the benefit of Hamas because it allows them to claim “plausible deniability” for actions when they fear the consequences. Other, unnamed, groups have been hinted to hold hostages. All this has been mentioned before. What needs to be said now concerns attempts to influence opinions, especially via the media.
Hamas has absolute control over every report or photo that leaves Gaza. Outside reporters/photographers have all their material carefully censored. A reporter that does not play by Hamas rules will be expelled from Gaza and his employer will not be able to send a replacement. This situation has existed for years. All major media outlets both know, and follow, the Hamas rules. In addition, because they are the de facto government, they can make “official” releases. The Gaza Ministry of Health is one favored source for pro-Hamas propaganda masquerading as news. There are also some favorite themes. The continuous repetition of the idea that there will be an “imminent humanitarian crisis” is one of these. It is also parroted by most of the UN agencies that operate in Gaza. If the forecast for a crisis fails to take place in the predicted time, it is just repeated with a date a few more days in the future.
Hamas is known for making up/creating their own stories. People are recruited to pretend to be injured, dead, or relatives of someone who is. Scenes are staged. There is a good reason why they have been referred to as “Pallywood”.
Early in the current conflict photos were released showing shrouds that were supposed to contain dead bodies. Someone in the Pallywood department thought that the pictures would have more impact if the bodies appeared bloody. The shrouds were daubed with extensive bright red “bloodstains”. When astute observers noted that real blood stains are not bright red, their cosmetics department just stopped doing it. Any bomb or explosion inside Gaza is always attributed to the IDF. When one of their own rockets fell short and landed in the parking area adjacent to a hospital, injuring about 20 people, the Hamas initial press release spoke of 400 dead from an IDF attack on the hospital. When the truth came out, there was no apology or retraction, just a quiet retreat to stating the actual facts.
Wetherhorn 