Hamas critic severely beaten by masked men in Gaza, incident draws ire - report

Masked men attacked a Gazan critic of Hamas this week. Amin Abed was badly beaten by a gang of men who were likely sent by Hamas to silence him. Abed is known as a critic of Hamas. The attack has led to anger and it is clear from social media posts, including by Palestinian activists and commentators who closely follow Gaza, how much this attack symbolizes the brutal nature of Hamas rule over Gaza.

Hamas’s fascist militias in Gaza kidnapped, beat, and tortured a dear friend and ally, Ameen Abed, a political activist who has long opposed the Islamist group and has been an outspoken critic against October 7 from inside Gaza. That he lost several of his close family members in… pic.twitter.com/a6PSyWVjho

— Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib) July 8, 2024

Abed, who is 35 years old, was reportedly attacked by two dozen men who pummeled him in the street in northern Gaza’s Jabalya neighborhood. A post on social media claimed that “20 or more masked men grabbed Amin Abed at the Al-Fakh School and dragged him to the Al-Tawbah area… The 20 men took turns [beating him] and for more than 40 minutes, in the street, Amin was attacked in the middle of his neighborhood. The neighborhood, which was already empty and most of which had turned into rubble, so they isolated him with all barbarism until all four of his limbs were broken, and they continued with inhumane beatings in the head and body that would not stop.”

Despite the intense Israeli bombardment on Gaza, Hamas militants kidnapped and attempted to lynch a political activist and dissent, Amin Abed.This afternoon, 20 masked members of Hamas kidnapped Amin Abed and dragged him in the street, and each of them took turns beating him up… pic.twitter.com/MBp2drmQfh

— Khalil Sayegh خليل الصايغ (@KhalilJeries) July 8, 2024

Reports say he was aided eventually by locals from Jabalya who attempted to save his life and brought him for care. A photo shows men wheeling Abed in a cart to obtain medical care. His feet are bloodied and blood is dropping onto the pavement. Photos and video showed him being helped by people and then bandaged. Another video also showed an elderly man, described as Abed’s father, Salah Abed, speaking out about the attack on his son.

Anger erupts in Gaza

According to a report at Al-Ain media in the UAE there is intense anger in Gaza over the attack on the activist. “A state of anger prevailed among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip due to the attack on activist Amin Abed, who opposes the Hamas movement,” the report said. It noted that he was “violently attacked by masked men affiliated with Hamas police in Jabalya camp, north of the [Gaza] Strip.” According to the same report Hamas has not commented or responded to the claims that its men beat the man.

The father of Amin Abed after his son was brutally attacked by Hamas Muslim Brotherhood savages in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/g8R4wUmXtL

— Avi Kaner ابراهيم אבי (@AviKaner) July 8, 2024

Al-Ain noted that “Amin had called in various publications to end the war on Gaza and stop the suffering of 2.3 million Palestinians living in tragic conditions, especially in the north. Activists said that Amin Abed has been known since the beginning of the war for his tireless work to serve his people, treat the wounded and sick, and provide financial assistance to alleviate their suffering.”

According to the report, the video of Abed’s father shows the man “in the destroyed streets of the Gaza Strip, chanting against the ‘cowardly agents,’ denouncing the kidnapping and beating of his son, and the tragedy that the Palestinians are experiencing in the Strip.” According to the article, Abed suffered severe injuries including the breaking of bones and it is believed the masked men intended to kill him. “The Fatah movement strongly condemned the ‘criminal attack on activist and fighter Amin Abed,’ holding the ‘de facto authority in the Gaza Strip’ responsible, in reference to the Hamas movement.”

Another article said the masked men were affiliated with Hamas police in Jabalya. The reports of the beating have been picked up increasingly in the region and are circulating. The Associated Press noted that “the family of a well-known Gaza activist who had organized anti-Hamas protests say he was assaulted by a group of men wielding batons and knives. Amin Abed, 35, was in critical condition in a hospital in northern Gaza after being attacked on Monday while walking home. His father, Salah Abed, detailed the attack in a Facebook post without saying who was responsible.” The same report noted that “Amer Balousha, a friend of the activist, said more than 20 masked men attacked him. He said that when bystanders intervened, the attackers fired shots in the air and claimed to be from Hamas’s internal security.”

The attack on Abed comes less than a week after Hamas also attacked Gazan civilians who were trying to obtain food from a warehouse where Hamas was holding humanitarian aid. Hamas has often beaten and sometimes killed people in Gaza throughout the war, either for alleged infractions such as trying to get food or theft or for opposing Hamas’s brutal rule. The attack on Abed has led to increased scrutiny because he was known outside of Gaza among a network of Palestinians. The attack on this man is considered an illustration of how Hamas is willing to persecute the people of Gaza in order to cling to power after nine months of a disastrous war.