The Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has for years overseen a secret police force in Gaza that conducted surveillance on everyday Palestinians and built files on young people, journalists and those who questioned the government, according to intelligence officials and a trove of internal documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The unit, known as the General Security Service, relied on a network of Gaza informants, some of whom reported their own neighbors to the police. People landed in security files for attending protests or publicly criticizing Hamas. In some cases, the records suggest that the authorities followed people to determine if they were carrying on romantic relationships outside marriage.

Hamas has long run an oppressive system of governance in Gaza, and many Palestinians there know that security officials watch them closely. But a 62-slide presentation on the activities of the General Security Service, delivered only weeks before the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, reveals the degree to which the largely unknown unit penetrated the lives of Palestinians.

. . .

Everyday Gazans were stuck — behind the wall of Israel’s crippling blockade and under the thumb and constant watch of a security force. That dilemma continues today, with the added threat of Israeli ground troops and airstrikes.

MBFC
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      1 month ago

      People of Gaza elected Hamas

      There hasn’t been an election in Gaza since 2006 and your purposely-obtuse ass knows it.

      If Israel wasn’t committed to upholding an apartheid state, and now genocide, maybe groups like Hamas wouldn’t exist. Which again, is a group that Israel itself propped up and allowed to take power in Gaza.

    • @[email protected]
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      101 month ago

      Bro 90% (literally) of the Gazan population weren’t even alive during the last election. The didn’t vote for shit most of the population is like 23 or younger and have lived with Hamas bullying and Israeli super extra bullying for literally their entire life. Most haven’t even had a like full feast in their life ever and at the current pace likely won’t ever if they even survive.

        • @[email protected]
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          1 month ago

          Nobody is in a warzone asking poll questions don’t be obtuse, Numbers from before Israel started intense genocidal actions are irrelevant dude.

          Ed: also your source notes opinions but doesn’t provide their source for the numbers.

          Ed fdd’s original mission statement.

          “provide education to enhance Israel’s image in North America and the public’s understanding of issues affecting Israeli-Arab relations”.

          Unbiased indeed.

    • @[email protected]
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      91 month ago

      If Austria required Slovak to register the birth of their children with them so they may later be eligible to vote, then you might be right.

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      1 month ago

      people of Gaza elected Hamas

      Gaza hasn’t had an election since 2006 and the average age of a Gaza resident is under 18.

      Feel free to work out the math on that. But imagine if George Bush Jr was nominally still president while the US existed under Canadian military occupation for the last 18 years.

        • @[email protected]
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          41 month ago

          Gotta wonder how many of those pollsters got cut down by Israeli sniper fire or obliterated by 2000 ton US-made bombs to go tent-to-tent and secure those those numbers.