On September 22 2025, three weeks before the signing of the October 8, “peace deal”  Ghassan Al-Dahineh, deputy head of the Abu Shabab militant group, did something no Gazan would have dared to do before Israel weakened Hamas. He posted a Facebook message in Arabic offering holiday greetings to Israelis and the Jewish Diaspora.

“On the occasion of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana), I extend my sincere best wishes to our Arab Jewish brethren in particular,” Al-Dahineh wrote, apparently referring to Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews whose families lived in Islamic countries across the Middle East and North Africa for centuries.

He continued by wishing a happy new year “to the Jewish people in general and to all those celebrating this holiday around the world.”

The militant leader added that “we ask God that this new year be a year of peace, love, health, and prosperity for all, and that it be the beginning of goodness and renewed hope in the hearts of people wherever they may be.”

Since the peace deal, Hamas has emerged from its tunnels. A Hamas terrorist told Reuters that a senior aide to Abu Shabab "has been liquidated" since the beginning of the ceasefire, and said the hunt for Abu Shabab was underway.

"The security campaign is continuing and escalating until this issue is completely over, and no party will be allowed to violate the law," he added.

In remarks to reporters in Washington, D.C., following his brief trip to the Middle East Trump spoke about the Hamas rampage that followed the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

“They killed a number of gang members,” Trump said. “And that didn’t bother me much to be honest with you. That’s ok, it’s a couple of very bad gangs. You know it’s no different than other countries -- like Venezuela sent their gangs into us and we took care of those gangs.”

Trump also said that he had given permission to Hamas to go after those gangs. Trump told reporters on Air Force One that that “they (Hamas) do want to stop the problems and they’ve been open about it. We gave them approval for a period of time.”

Abu Shabab and his “gang” are not the only Gazans who feel good will toward Israel and who would like peace with Israel. A reporter from Israel’s channel 12 went into Gaza 13 months after the massacre of October 7 and spoke with Gazans. The only hatred they expressed was toward Hamas. One woman repeated over and over to the interviewer: “We’re with you, we’re with you, we’re with you.” The incredulous interviewer asked “You’re with us? Meaning the Israeli people?” The woman replied, “The Israeli people, everything good comes from you.”  Another woman said:

“May God settle the score with Hamas. May God take revenge on Hamas. They destroyed our lives, our children’s lives. They destroyed our houses, we used to have a life. We want you to rule here. We don’t want Hamas. The whole nation hates Hamas. They’ve hurt all of us.”

The interview is full of statements like these from people in Gaza. People who are being oppressed by Hamas once again.

'It's beginning to look like a massacre there,' one IDF officer said. According to another officer, Israeli soldiers can see from observation posts that armed Hamas members are shooting at Palestinians who have tried to resist them -- or who are suspected of assisting Israel -- but have been instructed not to intervene.

For there to be peace there has to be good will. The “gangs” being killed are the rare people in Gaza who could have been part of a government that would have coexisted peacefully with Israel.

Image: Mary Madigan