Hamas straw man recounts Gaza war
Speaking to a crowd at a Gaza victory parade, sobbing special forces fighter retells combat — while dressed head to toe in Ghillie suit
In a bizarre display of political theater, a Hamas fighter dressed in a straw mask spoke to supporters at a Gaza victory rally and provided a rare first-person account of his experience in Operation Protective Edge.
During the recent rally at the Nuseirat refugee camp, the Hamas special forces fighter took the stage wearing a Ghillie suit made of straw and told those assembled about the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ war against Israel.
“During the last war, we, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, succeeding in restraining the Zionist enemy through ambushes we prepared for them before they began to move,” the unnamed straw man said. “During the war I lost several friends and close relatives. My force was based in one of the houses and waited for the Israeli army, but the army struck the house.
“We remained in this home and survived the bombings of the enemy planes. In this house was also a small girl and we took care to protect her during the bombings and provide for her basic needs such as water,” he said.
“Immediately after the bombing, the Zionist forces entered this area — and it turned into a battlefield,” he continued. “We were three guys and we guarded in shifts.”
When recounting how his comrades were injured in a firefight with the Israel Defense Forces, he began to sob beneath his straw mask.
“From the hideout, we fired at IDF soldiers and succeeded in killing a few of them. Planes continued to bomb us and 50 additional infantry soldiers entered the house in which we hid,” he said.
The Times of Israel Community.