Growing Palestinian Support for Hamas in the West Bank

During the war in Gaza, Israel's military operations in the occupied West Bank have intensified. The city of Jenin, which was the main target before the attacks by Hamas, is now a weekly battleground. Palestinian teenagers I met in Jenin displayed a dismissive attitude towards the Palestinian president and his appeals for protection against Israel's occupation. Israeli forces, accompanied by armored bulldozers and military jeeps, patrol the streets of Jenin, which are covered with pictures of young men killed by Israeli forces. Six men were killed in an operation on Tuesday, with Israel claiming that they were targeting members of armed groups. However, the director of Jenin's hospital said that a chronically ill 13-year-old child also died after being denied medical care. These incursions and killings in Jenin will only fuel the anger and resistance among Palestinians, and will not bring peace to Israel. Since the attacks by Hamas, support for armed resistance has increased in parts of the West Bank. Palestinians, especially the younger generation, are now backing Hamas more than ever before. There is a shift in priorities among Palestinian youth, with a rising demand for the liberation of the homeland through resistance. The Palestinian Authority is realizing that targeting Hamas will not eliminate it as it is deeply rooted within the Palestinian people. There is now talk of a united political front between Fatah and Hamas, with some senior figures in the Palestinian administration advocating for a unity government. The crisis in Gaza could potentially strengthen Hamas's political wing, while Israel aims to completely destroy Hamas and exclude both Hamas and Fatah from Gaza's future government. Some Palestinians believe that the price paid by Gaza for the Hamas attacks is too high, while others see Hamas's tactics as successful in pressuring Israel to release Palestinian prisoners. The Palestinian Authority, on the other hand, is seen as corrupt and ineffective. It has been unable to pay its civil servants or police since the war in Gaza due to a rift over tax revenues. Overall, Hamas's influence is spreading in the West Bank despite Israeli efforts to prevent it.