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Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages: Jewish Quarterly 264
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For almost twenty years, Hamas ruled Gaza and prepared for a battle that it knew it could not win. But the group made a cold its path to victory rested on sacrificing the lives and livelihoods of the 2.2 million people of Gaza.
In this gripping account of Hamas and its motivations, Gazan writer Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib charts the rise of the group and its repressive rule as it turned the enclave into a staging ground for combat. He reflects on his and his family's experiences, and on how Hamas's destructive leadership has set back the hopes and prospects of his people.
Hamas and Its Two million Hostages provides crucial insights into the state of Hamas following its devastating war with Israel, including an assessment of the future of the group and how to ensure it can no longer control the people of Gaza.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a Gazan writer and advocate, founder of Realign for Palestine and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council based in Washington, DC. He writes analysis and commentary for publications such as The Atlantic and Foreign Policy and appears regularly in US and international media. He can be found at @afalkhatib.
Send your print-order receipt to enquiries@jewishquarterly.com to receive your free digital copy.
For almost twenty years, Hamas ruled Gaza and prepared for a battle that it knew it could not win. But the group made a cold its path to victory rested on sacrificing the lives and livelihoods of the 2.2 million people of Gaza.
In this gripping account of Hamas and its motivations, Gazan writer Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib charts the rise of the group and its repressive rule as it turned the enclave into a staging ground for combat. He reflects on his and his family's experiences, and on how Hamas's destructive leadership has set back the hopes and prospects of his people.
Hamas and Its Two million Hostages provides crucial insights into the state of Hamas following its devastating war with Israel, including an assessment of the future of the group and how to ensure it can no longer control the people of Gaza.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is a Gazan writer and advocate, founder of Realign for Palestine and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council based in Washington, DC. He writes analysis and commentary for publications such as The Atlantic and Foreign Policy and appears regularly in US and international media. He can be found at @afalkhatib.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 14, 2026
I appreciated Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages, even though I disagreed with parts of it.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is willing to say things about Hamas and Palestinian society that are too often avoided. He is very clear about Hamas’s brutality, authoritarianism, corruption, and willingness to sacrifice Palestinian lives for its own political and ideological goals. More importantly, he gives Palestinians agency. Palestinians are not treated simply as passive victims of Israel. He acknowledges failures within Palestinian leadership, support for violence, and the ways Palestinians themselves have undermined opportunities for peace.
I respect that, especially coming from a Palestinian from Gaza. I am glad there are Palestinian voices willing to have these conversations, and I genuinely hope people like Alkhatib are part of whatever eventually creates peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
But as an Israeli, there were also parts that frustrated me.
The biggest issue is that the book does a good job explaining why Hamas needs to go without really addressing what happens after Hamas. Getting rid of Hamas does not solve the underlying problem. What prevents another Hamas from taking its place? What changes within Palestinian political culture, education, institutions, leadership, and attitudes toward Israelis and Jews? How does Palestinian nationalism move away from rejectionism and the idea that violence or “resistance” will eventually make Israel disappear?
Those questions are much harder, and I felt like the essay mostly grazed over them.
I also struggled with how much responsibility still ends up being placed on Israel. The book describes suicide bombings, terrorism, Hamas’s ideology, October 7, and the deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. But then Israel’s responses are sometimes discussed as though Israel has an almost unlimited responsibility to find a solution that protects everyone.
Israel has a responsibility for Israel’s decisions. But Israel cannot be responsible for everything. It cannot simultaneously be expected to protect Israelis, defeat Hamas, rescue hostages, protect Palestinians from the consequences of Hamas’s strategy, reform Palestinian politics, create a functioning Palestinian government, and somehow produce peace on its own.
Palestinian agency has to mean more than acknowledging that Hamas is terrible. It also has to mean seriously confronting the political and societal conditions that allowed Hamas to become so powerful in the first place. Palestinian leaders, educators, institutions, activists, and civil society have their own responsibility for creating a different future. So do the regional and international actors that have funded, enabled, or excused extremism.
That is where the essay fell short for me. Alkhatib is willing to confront Hamas and demand more Palestinian accountability, which I respect. But I wanted him to take that argument further. Hamas did not appear out of nowhere, and simply removing Hamas does not address the much deeper problems that have made peace so difficult.
Still, I would much rather read and engage with a Palestinian voice like Alkhatib’s than another analysis that denies Palestinians any agency at all. I don’t need to agree with him on everything to recognize how important it is to have Palestinian voices willing to condemn Hamas, criticize their own society, and still advocate for coexistence with Israel.
Four stars because I think this is an important perspective and an important conversation. I just wish the essay had been willing to take that conversation further.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib is willing to say things about Hamas and Palestinian society that are too often avoided. He is very clear about Hamas’s brutality, authoritarianism, corruption, and willingness to sacrifice Palestinian lives for its own political and ideological goals. More importantly, he gives Palestinians agency. Palestinians are not treated simply as passive victims of Israel. He acknowledges failures within Palestinian leadership, support for violence, and the ways Palestinians themselves have undermined opportunities for peace.
I respect that, especially coming from a Palestinian from Gaza. I am glad there are Palestinian voices willing to have these conversations, and I genuinely hope people like Alkhatib are part of whatever eventually creates peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
But as an Israeli, there were also parts that frustrated me.
The biggest issue is that the book does a good job explaining why Hamas needs to go without really addressing what happens after Hamas. Getting rid of Hamas does not solve the underlying problem. What prevents another Hamas from taking its place? What changes within Palestinian political culture, education, institutions, leadership, and attitudes toward Israelis and Jews? How does Palestinian nationalism move away from rejectionism and the idea that violence or “resistance” will eventually make Israel disappear?
Those questions are much harder, and I felt like the essay mostly grazed over them.
I also struggled with how much responsibility still ends up being placed on Israel. The book describes suicide bombings, terrorism, Hamas’s ideology, October 7, and the deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. But then Israel’s responses are sometimes discussed as though Israel has an almost unlimited responsibility to find a solution that protects everyone.
Israel has a responsibility for Israel’s decisions. But Israel cannot be responsible for everything. It cannot simultaneously be expected to protect Israelis, defeat Hamas, rescue hostages, protect Palestinians from the consequences of Hamas’s strategy, reform Palestinian politics, create a functioning Palestinian government, and somehow produce peace on its own.
Palestinian agency has to mean more than acknowledging that Hamas is terrible. It also has to mean seriously confronting the political and societal conditions that allowed Hamas to become so powerful in the first place. Palestinian leaders, educators, institutions, activists, and civil society have their own responsibility for creating a different future. So do the regional and international actors that have funded, enabled, or excused extremism.
That is where the essay fell short for me. Alkhatib is willing to confront Hamas and demand more Palestinian accountability, which I respect. But I wanted him to take that argument further. Hamas did not appear out of nowhere, and simply removing Hamas does not address the much deeper problems that have made peace so difficult.
Still, I would much rather read and engage with a Palestinian voice like Alkhatib’s than another analysis that denies Palestinians any agency at all. I don’t need to agree with him on everything to recognize how important it is to have Palestinian voices willing to condemn Hamas, criticize their own society, and still advocate for coexistence with Israel.
Four stars because I think this is an important perspective and an important conversation. I just wish the essay had been willing to take that conversation further.
October 28, 2026
A must read!!! Balanced, nuanced, objective, and necessary. A pro-Palestinian voice with conscious and a sense of honest responsibility to call terror, terror. Alkhatib doesn’t pull punches about Israeli prosecution of the war in Gaza, but places those ugly realities within an honest context of reality of life under Hamas rule. Every western pro-Palestinian advocate should read this book to better understand reality in the Strip. Peace could still happen if parties take responsibility and protesters thousands of miles away get truly informed about the lives of the people they advocate for who suffer from terrorism of a group those same protesters strangely revere.
August 3, 2026
Courageous, timely, and highly informative.
August 21, 2026
Quick read with lots of insider information- does an excellent job of explaining the tragic loss of opportunity the people of Gaza went through as Hamas rose to power.
Exceedingly tragic, ends with fragile hope for a future that does not relied on failed nihilistic death, highly recommended.
Exceedingly tragic, ends with fragile hope for a future that does not relied on failed nihilistic death, highly recommended.
August 15, 2026
Highly recommend this short book for anyone interested in an overview of Hamas, what they've done to Gazans, and how they've created an environment that not only utterly precludes peace with Israel but has destroyed regular life in the strip over the last several decades.
September 9, 2026
A concise, clear and knowledgeable history of Gaza over the last four decades, viewed through the lens of Palestinian agency.
For me this was highly informative, filling in many gaps in other accounts. Israeli reports often fail to engage deeply with the diversity of Palestinian responses, and anti-Israel ones (pro-Palestinian is a tricky term in this context) tend to frame Gazans in passive terms: victimhood and resistance. Alkhatib demonstrates that these have never been the only choices. Rival Palestinian leaderships have at every stage taken active decisions to direct their nation’s priorities and prospects, even while silencing dissent and circumscribing the freedom of individual Palestinian women (in particular) and men.
This perspective does not absolve Israel of responsibility for its actions. Alkhatib challenges all parties to consider the very real implications of their agency and choice. All hold responsibility, and all, within the constraints of their circumstances, make decisions that will determine the future.
As an Israeli I have long observed that those in both nations who oppose compromise and coexistence are generally, in effect, batting on the same side. The Israeli right, Hamas and its rival Islamist Palestinian groups, at times Fatah, and diverse foreign interest groups from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the western leftist movements that frame the conflict in terms of a quite different morality play, all share a motivation to disrupt the path to a two-state solution. When one side moves to the extreme it invariably benefits the extremists on the other side.
The opposite alliance – that of Israelis, Palestinians and those in neighbouring countries who share a motivation to arrive at peaceful solutions – is easily thwarted by the totalitarian methods employed in particular by Hamas (and its partners outside Gaza) to silence, imprison, and often to murder any Palestinian who dares undermine their narrative in word or deed. Alkhatib has been a political refugee since participating in an American student programme with the seemingly mild aim, in the wake of 9/11, of exposing young people from Islamic countries to American culture. His assessment, based on the online activity of Gazans and the predictable gap between the views expressed there and those reflected in Hamas-approved surveys and Qatari-approved Al-Jazeera coverage, is that his pragmatic approach is not in fact a marginal one.
Anyone from the outside, therefore, wishing to intervene in any way in support of those who suffer most from the conflict, would do well to listen carefully to the diversity of Palestinian voices and to the specific implications of their differing programmes for the future. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, and his organization, Realign for Palestine, would be an excellent starting point.
I feel a deep personal debt of gratitude to Alkhatib because his commentary on the events of the years following October the 7th helped me maintain my hold on sanity. The price he must pay for communicating his knowledge and perspective is exceptionally high, even alongside the immeasurable losses and bereavements he has endured. So if he were to write a book on the mechanics of paint drying I imagine I would also buy that. As it is, he’s written an essential and compelling short read for anyone with a passing interest in either the Palestinian cause or Israel’s predicament.
For me this was highly informative, filling in many gaps in other accounts. Israeli reports often fail to engage deeply with the diversity of Palestinian responses, and anti-Israel ones (pro-Palestinian is a tricky term in this context) tend to frame Gazans in passive terms: victimhood and resistance. Alkhatib demonstrates that these have never been the only choices. Rival Palestinian leaderships have at every stage taken active decisions to direct their nation’s priorities and prospects, even while silencing dissent and circumscribing the freedom of individual Palestinian women (in particular) and men.
This perspective does not absolve Israel of responsibility for its actions. Alkhatib challenges all parties to consider the very real implications of their agency and choice. All hold responsibility, and all, within the constraints of their circumstances, make decisions that will determine the future.
As an Israeli I have long observed that those in both nations who oppose compromise and coexistence are generally, in effect, batting on the same side. The Israeli right, Hamas and its rival Islamist Palestinian groups, at times Fatah, and diverse foreign interest groups from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the western leftist movements that frame the conflict in terms of a quite different morality play, all share a motivation to disrupt the path to a two-state solution. When one side moves to the extreme it invariably benefits the extremists on the other side.
The opposite alliance – that of Israelis, Palestinians and those in neighbouring countries who share a motivation to arrive at peaceful solutions – is easily thwarted by the totalitarian methods employed in particular by Hamas (and its partners outside Gaza) to silence, imprison, and often to murder any Palestinian who dares undermine their narrative in word or deed. Alkhatib has been a political refugee since participating in an American student programme with the seemingly mild aim, in the wake of 9/11, of exposing young people from Islamic countries to American culture. His assessment, based on the online activity of Gazans and the predictable gap between the views expressed there and those reflected in Hamas-approved surveys and Qatari-approved Al-Jazeera coverage, is that his pragmatic approach is not in fact a marginal one.
Anyone from the outside, therefore, wishing to intervene in any way in support of those who suffer most from the conflict, would do well to listen carefully to the diversity of Palestinian voices and to the specific implications of their differing programmes for the future. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, and his organization, Realign for Palestine, would be an excellent starting point.
I feel a deep personal debt of gratitude to Alkhatib because his commentary on the events of the years following October the 7th helped me maintain my hold on sanity. The price he must pay for communicating his knowledge and perspective is exceptionally high, even alongside the immeasurable losses and bereavements he has endured. So if he were to write a book on the mechanics of paint drying I imagine I would also buy that. As it is, he’s written an essential and compelling short read for anyone with a passing interest in either the Palestinian cause or Israel’s predicament.
August 8, 2026
Ahmed Fouad Alkhmatid urodził się w roku 1990 w Rafah, położonym na południu od stolicy Gazy. Pochodzi z inteligenckiej rodziny, ojciec, lekarz, praktykował w paru arabskich krajach. Jako piętnastolatek znalazł się Ahmed w grupie dziesięciu Palestyńczyków objętych tzw. wymianą kulturalną z amerykańskimi uczniami. Do Gazy nigdy nie udało mu się wrócić, mimo że granice ze Strefą próbował przekroczyć parę razy, ostatnio z pomocą humanitarną podczas wojny z Izraelem po 7 października. Nie kryje swych anty-hamasowskich poglądów. W roku 2007 został pierwszym gazańskim azylantem w USA. Książkę opublikował w Jewish Quaterly.
Trudno nie porównywać książkowych świadectw dwóch autorów, zajmujących zdecydowanie anty-hamasowskie stanowisko, pochodzących z różnych terytorialnych enklaw rządzonych przez Palestyńczyków, Strefy Gazy i strefy A na Zachodnim Brzegu. Pomijając różnice wynikające z dat publikacji obu książek oraz dystans wiekowy - Gazańczyk jest dwanaście lat młodszy od autora i bohatera historii opisanej w książce pt. „Syn Hamasu” - należy uwzględnić, źe opowieść syna Hamasu ma emocjonalny charakter, choć jego obecne publiczne wypowiedzi są coraz bardziej jednoznaczne i radykalne. Tymczasem Ahmed ma ambicje analityczno-eksperckie.
Najbardziej uderzająca różnica dotyczy ich pochodzenia. Mosab Hassan Yousef urodził się w głęboko religijnej muzułmańskiej rodzinie i całe jego otoczenie takie było, a jego przejście na drugą stroną wiązało się, między innymi, z konwersją na chrześcijaństwo. Natomiast Ahmed Fouad Alkhmatid głosi tezę, źe wspólnota palestyńska z natury rzeczy była świecka. Islamizm Hamasu miał być kontrą na lewackość, na komunizujące wpływy w Fatahu, OWP i Autonomii Arafata. Islamizację podgrzewały inne dżihatystyczne organizacje, na czele z wpływowym Bractwem Muzułmańskim. Szansa na dwupaństwowość, wynegocjowaną w Porozumieniach z Oslo, została pogrzebana, także przez politykę Netanjahu - czego autor nie omieszka mu wypomnieć. Pierwszymi ofiarami islamizacji były kobiety, potem wszyscy podejrzani o jakiekolwiek kontakty z Izraelczykami. W narodzinach kultu męczeństwa, realizowanego w coraz częstszych zamachach samobójczych, kluczową rolę miał odegrać przykład Afgańczyków w walce z sowieckimi najeźdźcami.
W każdym razie po wygranych w 2007 roku wyborach Hamas ani myślał zająć się rządzeniem, skupiając wszystkie siły i środki - łącznie z hojnie płynącym zagranicznym wsparciem - na rozbudowywaniu i modernizacji potencjału militarnego. Fatalnie to wpłynęło na sytuację bytową i nastroje wśród przeciętnych Palestyńczyków, co doprowadziło nawet do publicznych protestów w sierpniu 2023 roku. Było to, według autora, głównym bodźcem dla hamasowców do przygotowania i przeprowadzenia krwawej masakry 7 października.
Ahmed jest przerażony reakcją lewicowych zachodnich elit na 7 października. Czy widzi dla Palestyńskiej Sprawy - w którą nadal głęboko wierzy - jakieś światełko w tunelu? No cóż, snuje hipotezy. Ale sytuacja jest płynna. Nie dalej jak wczoraj udało mi się wysłuchać fragmenty jego rozważań na temat niedawnej decyzji Hamasu o tzw. rozbrojeniu. Fasada czy realny projekt? Kto i jak miałby tę operację nadzorować? Zdemilitaryzowany Hamas straciłby przecież jakąkolwiek rację bytu!
Na pewno jednak książkę warto przeczytać. Ebook jest dostępny m.in. w abonamencie Storytel.
September 13, 2026
People living in Gaza need a robust critique of Hamas and an unbiased condemnation of its violence and repression. People who want peace and material improvement for Palestinians need nuanced histories and constructive direction. Those people should read a different book. Although slim, well-written, and emotionally powerful, Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages is not an invitation for bilateral cooperation and uses enough misrepresentation that it should be read in conversation with other texts to be considered informative.
Likud does not want a two-state solution and has supported Hamas toward that end for a long time (Times of Israel). The head of Mossad even visited Qatar in September 2023 to make sure their monthly, multimillion dollar payments to Hamas continued (Times of Israel). Despite its acknowledgement of regional complexity and the relevance of multiple actors, the book contains no direct mention of the CIA (though their presence is implied as "the U.S." a few times).
This could have been a necessary bridge to educate and moderate people who are sympathetic to Palestinians and want to be well informed about Hamas' atrocities. Instead, it takes an adversarial stance that furthers inflammatory rhetoric and only offers that Hamas disarm or be removed.
Likud does not want a two-state solution and has supported Hamas toward that end for a long time (Times of Israel). The head of Mossad even visited Qatar in September 2023 to make sure their monthly, multimillion dollar payments to Hamas continued (Times of Israel). Despite its acknowledgement of regional complexity and the relevance of multiple actors, the book contains no direct mention of the CIA (though their presence is implied as "the U.S." a few times).
This could have been a necessary bridge to educate and moderate people who are sympathetic to Palestinians and want to be well informed about Hamas' atrocities. Instead, it takes an adversarial stance that furthers inflammatory rhetoric and only offers that Hamas disarm or be removed.
November 14, 2026
An incredibly important read, especially for anyone who wants to understand what’s happening in Gaza beyond the headlines.
I think far too many people have blurred the lines between supporting the Palestinian people and supporting Hamas. Those are not the same thing. This book challenges readers to confront the reality of who Hamas is, how it governs, and what its existence has meant for the very people it claims to represent.
You can advocate for Palestinian civilians, recognize their suffering, and want a better future for them while also acknowledging the brutality of Hamas and the damage it has inflicted on its own population.
I genuinely think anyone who is loudly advocating for the Palestinian cause should read this book and take a closer look at exactly what they’re endorsing, who they’re standing behind, and whether they understand the organization at the center of this conflict.
Supporting a population’s right to freedom and supporting the people who govern them are two very different things.
A challenging, thought-provoking, and important book.
I think far too many people have blurred the lines between supporting the Palestinian people and supporting Hamas. Those are not the same thing. This book challenges readers to confront the reality of who Hamas is, how it governs, and what its existence has meant for the very people it claims to represent.
You can advocate for Palestinian civilians, recognize their suffering, and want a better future for them while also acknowledging the brutality of Hamas and the damage it has inflicted on its own population.
I genuinely think anyone who is loudly advocating for the Palestinian cause should read this book and take a closer look at exactly what they’re endorsing, who they’re standing behind, and whether they understand the organization at the center of this conflict.
Supporting a population’s right to freedom and supporting the people who govern them are two very different things.
A challenging, thought-provoking, and important book.
September 22, 2026
Wonderfully refreshing view from a Gazan Palestinian
Not all in Gaza support Hamas. This short but hard-hitting testimony sheds light on the evil that is Hamas from inside Gaza. A brave writer, he has been threatened for daring to oppose Hamas’ terrorist regime. His family have paid a heavy price through Israel’s over reaction to 7 October 2023, but he remains defiantly opposed to Hamas. His argument is strong, historical and clearly articulated.
Quote: ‘Hamas used 2 million Gazans as hostages in its nihilistic Jihadi adventurism, sacrificing its people as it committed atrocities in the hope of prompting an overwhelming Israeli reaction and turning the world against the Jewish state.’
His challenge is clear - Hamas has destroyed Gaza and is responsible for Israel’s over reaction to 7 October 2023 massacre of Israelis. However, as he makes clear, there can be no future Gaza with Hamas. A refreshingly honest book. 5*.
Not all in Gaza support Hamas. This short but hard-hitting testimony sheds light on the evil that is Hamas from inside Gaza. A brave writer, he has been threatened for daring to oppose Hamas’ terrorist regime. His family have paid a heavy price through Israel’s over reaction to 7 October 2023, but he remains defiantly opposed to Hamas. His argument is strong, historical and clearly articulated.
Quote: ‘Hamas used 2 million Gazans as hostages in its nihilistic Jihadi adventurism, sacrificing its people as it committed atrocities in the hope of prompting an overwhelming Israeli reaction and turning the world against the Jewish state.’
His challenge is clear - Hamas has destroyed Gaza and is responsible for Israel’s over reaction to 7 October 2023 massacre of Israelis. However, as he makes clear, there can be no future Gaza with Hamas. A refreshingly honest book. 5*.
October 22, 2026
Is there a demographic that is anti-Zionist, yet would be receptive to a Palestinian voice, even one that places significant blame on the “pro-Palestinian” cause that celebrates violence? I hope all who could learn from this book (and who otherwise refuse to read Israeli or other perspectives) would read it.
As for me, Alkhatib’s personal experiences were extremely revelatory and insightful - his schoolmates being shipped to the border for confrontation, the bizarre propaganda of pouring perfume on “martyr” graves to feign miraculous events, the family members who saw Hamas storing weapons in mosques and exploiting NGO funding.
A solid exposé into how Hamas works and, as Alkhatib puts it, “the state of moral degradation, insanity, unintelligence and shallowness that Hamas’s October 7 attack has created in the free and democratic world.”
As for me, Alkhatib’s personal experiences were extremely revelatory and insightful - his schoolmates being shipped to the border for confrontation, the bizarre propaganda of pouring perfume on “martyr” graves to feign miraculous events, the family members who saw Hamas storing weapons in mosques and exploiting NGO funding.
A solid exposé into how Hamas works and, as Alkhatib puts it, “the state of moral degradation, insanity, unintelligence and shallowness that Hamas’s October 7 attack has created in the free and democratic world.”
October 5, 2026
Excellent history /memoir.
It tells a Gazan perspective of the rise of Hamas to power in the Gaza strip. It fills in the gaps in understanding the conflict from Oslo to October 7. It shows a people who has forgotten the violence of the PLO from 1964 to 1988 and sees only the diplomacy of the 1990s and 2000s. It talks about the values shift from pan arabism to Islamism, and the internal problems which led to Hamas support. It is an important read for anyone trying to understand how Hamas fits into Palestinian society. Great short read.
It tells a Gazan perspective of the rise of Hamas to power in the Gaza strip. It fills in the gaps in understanding the conflict from Oslo to October 7. It shows a people who has forgotten the violence of the PLO from 1964 to 1988 and sees only the diplomacy of the 1990s and 2000s. It talks about the values shift from pan arabism to Islamism, and the internal problems which led to Hamas support. It is an important read for anyone trying to understand how Hamas fits into Palestinian society. Great short read.
September 26, 2026
I wish everyone who cares about the conflict in the middle east would take the time to read this short book. Alkhatib 's personal connections to his homeland of Gaza help remove barriers to more easily understand the complexities about the "how and why" of the October 7th massacre. He is a unifying voice that, if taken seriously, could help create an opportunity for peace, tolerance and a chance for the Palestinian people to have a sense of self determination.
October 21, 2026
It should be a requirement for anyone who defends or excuses Hamas to first read this book. Everything he writes is everything I've ever seen in my field of study, finally condensed and summarized in an easy-to-follow format for a Western audience. This is a man who grew up in Gaza and knows the ins and outs of how Hamas has operated for decades. Excellent resource.
October 17, 2026
A fair and courageous book
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib gives the Palestinians of Gaza the respect they deserve. He puts a spotlight on the ongoing malevolence of Hamas that has sacrificed so many Gazans. It is not Pro-Israel. It is pro-peaceful co-existence. Thank you.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib gives the Palestinians of Gaza the respect they deserve. He puts a spotlight on the ongoing malevolence of Hamas that has sacrificed so many Gazans. It is not Pro-Israel. It is pro-peaceful co-existence. Thank you.
November 11, 2026
Excellent exposé of Hamas from someone with lived experience and inside information. Should be read by every useful idiot who blindly cheers for Hamas. Recommend for anyone interested in the middle east conflict.
September 15, 2026
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib has written a disturbing study of the rise of Hamas and its destructive impact on the lives of everyday Gazans.
September 27, 2026
Brilliant book. Concise, honest, and informative.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews