Gaza City, August 10 — A veteran of Hamas’s 2023 assault on southern Israel expressed genuine bewilderment this week over intense American opposition to mass shootings, describing the cultural gap as “difficult to comprehend.”
“I truly do not understand the American reaction,” said Abu Bewilderment al-Martyr, 34, who participated in the attack on the Nova music festival and nearby kibbutzim, which produced about 1200 fatalities. “In my experience, entering a location with automatic weapons, killing as many people as possible in a short time, and filming it for distribution is simply an effective tactic. Yet every time it happens in the United States, the entire country acts as if something terrible has occurred. The outrage, the candlelight vigils, the demands for prevention — it seems out of place.”
Al-Martyr, currently residing in a rebuilt residential block in Gaza, spoke during an informal interview arranged by Hamas media handlers. He noted that he had followed American news coverage of several high-profile shootings and remained puzzled by the consistent condemnation. “They call it a tragedy. They talk about the innocence of the victims. They debate how to stop the next one. But when we did essentially the same thing — only with more coordination, hostages, and a clear political objective — many of the same voices insisted on context, root causes, and the need to understand our perspective. The inconsistency is striking.”
He elaborated that the operational similarities should, in his view, produce similar responses. “We selected soft targets. We used small arms and grenades. We moved from one group of unarmed people to the next. The body count was higher, yes, but the basic method is familiar. Why does the American public accept zero tolerance for this behavior on their own soil while some of their commentators treat it as legitimate resistance when it happens here? They should be celebrating it.”
Hamas officials accompanying the interview stressed that al-Martyr’s confusion reflects a broader ideological divide. “Western societies have trouble comprehending the joy inherent in the deaths of infidels,” one handler explained. “Our brother is simply pointing out the double standard, however born of ignorance it may be. Americans are largely infidels, and their violent deaths deserve celebration.”
Al-Martyr rejected any suggestion that the deliberate targeting of families, the taking of hostages, or the documented sexual violence distinguished the October 7 operation from a typical mass shooting. “Details vary,” he said with a shrug. “The core activity remains the same. Americans should be more consistent. If they truly oppose mass shootings, they should oppose them everywhere, including when performed by people with legitimate grievances. Or, if context matters so much, they should apply that same contextual generosity at home.”
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