Amid Hamas's governance of the Gaza Strip, the terrorist organization had also been surveilling and building files on civilians, journalists, and individuals who questioned the government, according to a New York Times report from Monday that reviewed internal documents taken from raids in Gaza by Israel's military intelligence directorate.
According to the documents, Hamas leaders had been governing the people in a tyrannical manner that did not allow civilians to stray off the course of their rule. It was revealed that security officials would trail journalists and suspicious behavior.
Hamas's unit specializing in spying on Palestinians
Hamas reported on Gaza residents through a specialized unit, the General Security Service, which functioned as a part of the government and made use of informants throughout Gaza.
According to Israel's military dictate, the files created by the unit contained information on at least 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and it is believed that Hamas head Yahya Sinwar was in charge of directly overseeing the unit.
Records reflect that in some cases, authorities followed people to investigate their personal lives, such as to see if married individuals were carrying out affairs.
The people named in the files found by the Israel Defense Forces were then interviewed by reporters, and they described their personal experiences, which matched the information about them in the secret files.
A civilian in Gaza that was surveilled by Hamas
The New York Times interviewed a journalist in the Gaza Strip named Ehab Fasfous, who was labeled by Hamas as a major hater of the movement, divulging his experience with the agency.
Fasfous was stopped last August on his way to a protest. His phone was taken from him, and it was then searched. The document written about him advised "closing in on [Fafous] because he is a negative person full of hate and only brings forth the Strip's shortcomings."
According to Fasfous, the General Security Service also interpreted the messages on his phone to a colleague as inappropriate and flirtatious, although that was not true.
Instances of the General Security Services's involvement date back years. For instance, in 2017, a report showed that a woman was investigated and suspected of acting immorally with the owner of a clothing shop.
People in the West support Hamas
Nevertheless, Hamas has still been able to obtain a following in the West who have been advocating for the terrorist organization during pro-Palestinian protests.
In a recent interview last month on Dr. Phil, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, explained the brutality of Hamas and called such protesters "idiots," which shocked the audience.
“They don’t know what they are supporting," Yousef explained afterward. "Hamas is a monster."