While the Hamas terrorist group were among the first ones to express their grief and extend condolences over the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash yesterday, some Gazan citizens thought differently and uploaded videos of them distributing sweets to celebrate the event, which quickly went viral and drew waves of criticism and even curses against celebrating Gazans.
Such was Majdy Moghrabi, a Gazan cleric from Rafah who expressed his opposition to Hamas in the past, and who uploaded a video to his X account showing Gazans praising Allah for the death of Raisi and distributing sweets on the occasion. Moghrabi then added: “Despite the pain and wounds we have experienced in Gaza, we cannot fail to participate with our brothers in Ahwaz, Iraq, Yemen and the Levant, and we share the Muslims’ joy over the demise of the murderous criminal thug, the possessor of the death squad, Raisi, and the demise of a group of criminals with him.”
The video went viral reaching almost one million views, 7000 likes and 1200 comments in less than 7 hours. Some comments shared Moghrabi’s happiness, wishing the Palestinians “Bon Appetit,” health and wellness, calling on Allah to grant Palestinians victory.
رغم ما بنا في #غزة من آلام وجراحات، إلا إننا لا نستطيع التخلف عن مشاركة إخواننا في الأحواز وفي العراق واليمن والشام، ونشارك المسلمين فرحتهم بهلاك السفاح المجرم القاتل، صاحب فرقة الموت رئيسي، وهلاك طغمة من المجرمين معه. pic.twitter.com/mB3zkRZdoU
— مجدي المغربي - فلسطين - غزة (@shmajdymoghrabi) May 20, 2024
Others justified the celebration, explaining that “They have the right to be happy. They (Iran) are the cause of the destruction of Gaza, and Hamas is a tool that carries out its orders.” Some also wished “may (Netanyahu) the stinky one and Biden be the next ones.”
However, many others allied with the so-called Shi’i “axis of resistance” were disappointed and even took offense from the Gazans’ joy at the Iranian premier’s death. Such was Malak Khaled, an editor and content creator at the Hezbollah affiliated Al-Mayadeen channel, who hurled insults at Moghrabi, commenting: “Shameless, contemptible, and unworthy of living with honor.”
Likewise, a user named Hadi Nasrallah who has over 146 thousand users, called Moghrabi an “(Israeli) spy,” accusing him of being “a terrorist opposing Hamas who exploits starving children for an inciting video.” Another pro-Iranian user named Ali Bze3 cursed at Moghrabi, adding “Shame on you and those you follow.”
A pro-regime user allegedly from Brussels named Amal Sabti rightfully questioned: “The Gazans suffer from hunger and the urgent need for basic food, so how can they distribute sweets?” and her answer was definite: “Unless this person is an agent of the Zionists, exploiting the people's tragedy for his own purposes! These traitors must be confronted and the rights of innocent Palestinians must be protected”
Other users refused to believe in the authenticity of the video, deeming it inconceivable that Gazans would celebrate the death of an Iranian president. One such user named Salman commented: “These are not the streets of Gaza, Gaza is literally destroyed. The video has the audio mixed in and edited at the beginning.”
Hamas and Iran – a delicate tango
These events highlight the Sunni-Shi’i rift present at the center of the Islamic and Arab world for centuries. As recalled, Hamas is an almost unique example of a Sunni organization with allegiance to the Shi’i Islamic Republic.
On one hand, Hamas self-identifies as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political, social, and religious global movement backed by Qatar and Turkey, which promotes a specific exegesis of Sunni Islam as a political agenda across the Islamic world and the West. On the other hand, Hamas also owes much of its moral and material support to the Shi’a “axis of resistance” led by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis, whose aim is to “export the Shi’i Islamic revolution” and instigate pro-Iranian rebellions within Arab and Muslim countries.
The current sweets-distributing affair stresses these differences, as some Gazans view the Iranian influence as a destructive one with dire consequences for their lives, while others such as the Islamic Jihad show complete allegiance to the Mullah regime in Tehran. Hamas, as opposed to the two extremes of the spectrum, is in a constant attempt to find the balance between their ideological forefathers and the fiscal sponsors of their terrorist activities.