Odai al-Rabei, a 22-year-old Gazan, was abducted, tortured, and murdered by al-Qassam terrorists, as per Rabei’s family. Some reports even said his body was dragged in the streets until it was finally returned to the family home.
However, this series of events quickly escalated into a heated debate between those who were appalled by the act – and some Hamas loyalists who justified the terror group’s actions while accusing Rabei of treason.
Videos circulated showing graphic images of Rabei’s body, which appeared to have been mutilated all over, indicating he was tortured. Other videos showed Rabei’s funeral procession held in Gaza on Sunday, in which thousands of participants declared in rage: “In spirit and blood we’ll redeem you, Odai!” “Allahu akbar,” as well as “Out, out, out! Hamas out!”
The family also issued a statement on video, accusing the killers of being “a sinful, rogue group affiliated with the Qassam Brigades,” adding that “they dragged him and tortured him to death with all kinds of hard tools…They killed him treacherously.”
Rabei’s family called for “these unjust criminals who unjustly killed this Muslim” to be dealt with an “iron fist,” adding they would have no consolation until revenge is taken on the killers.
They further stressed: “Odai fasted Ramadan, he prayed, and he read the Quran… We call on all human rights organizations and institutions to stand in support of the people of Gaza against these criminals. O Allah, take revenge.”
One blogger lamented Rabei’s death.
“For a year and a half, Odai survived Merkava tank launchers, F-16 missiles, and complete annihilation. In the end, he fell as a martyr at the hands of the movement that claims to be in Gaza to defend him.
“This is the true face of Hamas. This is what the Gazans came out to reveal to us. This is the price to pay for those who say no to the rule of the Brotherhood militia. Shame on the movement that has been oppressing a hungry, displaced, and lonely people for a year and a half.”
At the same time, Hamas loyalists on social media refused to lament Rabei’s killing, accusing him of treason.
“May God protect al-Qassam and bless them. As for those traitors whom Israel recruited to carry out its work, Israel was unable to defeat Hamas militarily, so it tried to resort to traitors. For your information, these traitors are a thousand times more dangerous than Israel because they live among the resistance fighters,” one of them wrote.
“The resistance does not kill anyone without a reason… If you know you know…,” said another one, while a third one added, “The resistance kills only Zionists and traitors.”
A fourth commenter said: “Certainly, he was a spy and an agent, and because of him many were martyred due to the information he gave to the Zionists,” while a fifth one said: “Just another dead one from Fatah like all others.”
Gaza protests
These events took place against the backdrop of an already tumultuous scene in the streets of Gaza, as last week saw a rare wave of anti-Hamas protests in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where marchers accused Hamas of “terrorism” and openly called for its abdication of power.