Members of Hamas kidnapped, tortured, and killed a 22-year-old Palestinian man for participating in demonstrations against the terrorist group.
Oday Nasser Al Rabay’s body was found left in front of his family’s home following his murder, according to The Times of Israel. The killing comes amid reports that Hamas has been threatening Palestinians who take part in protests against its rule. Demonstrations were held in Gaza for three consecutive days, but none took place over the weekend as Hamas ramped up its intimidation efforts.
The terrorist group has attempted to dismiss the protests as being directed at Israel, despite video footage and reports confirming that they were aimed at Hamas.
Dozens of Palestinians were filmed participating in a funeral for Rabay, with the funeral turning into a protest against Hamas as participants began chanting “Hamas out!”
“Uday was martyred by the criminals of Hamas,” Mazen Shat, a senior police officer affiliated with Fatah told the Telegraph. “And what’s his crime? He told the truth, because he refused to be silent on injustice, because he did not kneel to Hamas.”
According to Kan public broadcaster, Hamas has been seeking to suppress the demonstrations and has considered releasing a small number of hostages to secure a truce during Eid al-Fitr, which begins Sunday evening and marks the end of Ramadan. Hamas’ ability to crack down on protesters has also been hampered by Israel’s resumed military operations in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed operations in Gaza on March 18, following the collapse of a ceasefire and hostage release deal that began in January. That deal’s first phase, lasting 42 days, expired on March 2. The phase saw the release of 33 women, children, civilian men over the age of 50, and hostages deemed “humanitarian cases” in exchange for roughly 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase was intended to see the release of 24 hostages still held by Hamas who are believed to be alive, all of which are young men who were abducted on the October 7, 2023 attack. Hamas is also still holding the remains of 35 hostages, including an IDF officer whose body was taken after he was killed in the 2014 Gaza War, the Times of Israel reported.
