Status: 16.11.2023, 11:26 a.m.
By: Peter Sieben
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While people are dying in war, Hamas leaders are operating from a safe distance. They are not concerned about the people of Gaza, they have a different goal, says an expert.
Gaza – The death of others is apparently more bearable when you have air conditioning and room service. While the war in Israel intensifies after the atrocities committed by Hamas and civilians fear for their lives, the leadership of the terrorist organization resides far away in luxury hotels. "Hamas' top leaders have been in Qatar for years. They are very comfortably accommodated there and have a good time," says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The Hamas leadership has enormous financial resources at its disposal, which it has accumulated over the years. Groups from Germany also play a role in this. Hamas doesn't care about the people in Gaza, says Schindler – the terrorists have a completely different goal.
War in Israel: Hamas leaders reside at a safe distance
The militias repeatedly present themselves as great liberators, in the service of the Palestinians. This is nonsense, says Schindler: "Hamas is absolutely cynical. It is not about the liberation of the Palestinians, but about the establishment of an Islamist theocracy, at the expense of the population according to the motto: It's a risk for you I am willing to take," says the expert. So, you bear the risk, dear civilian population, and we are happy to accept it.
The people of Gaza are experiencing this first-hand, as a humanitarian catastrophe is looming. There is a lack of food, fuel and medicine. Meanwhile, Hamas is stockpiling tons of supplies for its own terrorists. "In the tunnels under Gaza, food, fuel and medicine are stored. The management keeps it all to itself. One can ask oneself: If Hamas supposedly cares about the Palestinians, why don't they give it to the population?" Meanwhile, leaders such as Hamas leader Ismail Haniya operate from a safe distance in Qatar. From there, they gave the order for the heinous massacre on October 7, in which around 1400,<> people were killed, says Schindler: "They have offices there and can act openly, Qatar does not see Hamas as a terrorist organization."
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The NGO aims to counteract the threat posed by extremist ideologies and to put pressure on terrorist organisations' support networks. © Private
Life in Qatar is expensive and the concerted terrorist action on October 7 must have been years in the making – at a cost in the tens of millions. Where did Hamas get the money? "Much of the funding comes from Qatar and a network of companies in Turkey and other countries that do not define Hamas as a terrorist organization." There are dozens of companies in Turkey, but also in Algeria and the United Arab Emirates that maintain relations with Hamas. And the terrorist militia generates millions in profits from it, as if it were an investment firm. Qatar alone transfers $30 million a month to Hamas in Gaza, Schindler said. The political leaders would have millions of dollars in private fortune all to themselves.
Donations from Germany go to Hamas
Another important source: donations. "Organizations in Europe and the United States are also collecting funds for Hamas. They are often disguised as aid organisations, such as the network of the German association Ansaar International, which has since been banned." Ansaar was founded in Düsseldorf in 2012 – ostensibly to collect donations for those in need in Syria, Somalia or Afghanistan. In reality, however, the association had distributed "donations on a significant scale" to terrorist organizations such as Hamas, according to a ruling by the Federal Administrative Court, which had reaffirmed the ban on the network at the end of August 2023.
"Such a ban is an important legal basis for confiscating funds. But that's not all. The money collectors immediately look for other ways and reorganize themselves. That's why the authorities have to stay on the ball again and again, recognize these new structures and disrupt them," says Schindler. This is because the potential for such structures in Germany is considerable.
"Generation Islam" plays an important role in Hamas propaganda in Germany
This has been evident on the internet and on the streets for weeks. The Middle East conflict is a perfect mobilization tool for the Islamist scene in Germany: they are heating up the atmosphere with shock videos and slogans. Organizations such as the Islamist "Generation Islam" had organized an Islamist march in Essen at the beginning of November. Groups like them are "very willing helpers" of Hamas, says Schindler: "A big goal of Hamas is propaganda. No one in the Hamas leadership is naïve enough to believe that they can achieve a military victory against Israel." The terrorists deliberately hold back civilians who want to flee at the border: "So that they are killed. They want to provoke these images." (pen)