The Israeli army spokeswoman, Ella Wawiyeh, published on the “X” platform a message sent from inside the Gaza Strip on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, in which she held the Hamas movement responsible for the situation of the Gazans, considering that the Eid falls for the third year amidst fear, destruction, and the absence of signs of joy.
Wawiya said in her post that Eid al-Adha comes “among the destruction that Hamas brought upon the people of Gaza,” noting that thousands of families are still living between fear and devastation, while the children of Gaza, as she put it, do not know the joy of Eid as they should.
She added that “three holidays have passed” in Gaza in light of a difficult reality, considering that the Hamas leadership chose, in her words, to “sacrifice its people” and turn the future into rubble.
In her post, Wawiya invoked the famous phrase, “I am back at Eid anyway, O Eid,” before wishing that the next Eid would come to Gaza without Hamas and without the leaders of the armed groups, and that the residents of the Gaza Strip would be fine.
Wawi’s message comes within the framework of the ongoing Israeli media discourse towards the residents of Gaza, which seeks to hold Hamas responsible for the continuation of the war and its humanitarian repercussions, in exchange for Israel’s assertion that its military operations target the movement’s structure and leadership.
The occasion of Eid al-Adha this year has a different impact in Gaza, where the religious and social symbolism of the holiday intersects with the scene of war, destruction and displacement, which makes political and media discourse more sensitive, especially when the holiday is used to send direct messages to the Palestinian interior and Arab public opinion.
In the background of the scene, the battle of narratives between Israel and Hamas continues in parallel with the military confrontation, as digital platforms are used as a primary arena to establish narratives and send messages. Between the harsh reality of Gazans and the escalatory Israeli rhetoric, civilians in the Gaza Strip remain the weakest link in an open war that extends beyond the field to the media, politics, and religious events.
