After President Donald Trump brokered a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group publicly executed several people, in a shocking show of defiance and power.
Yet I’ve heard little, if any, outrage from pro-Palestinian supporters in the United States condemning the ongoing violence and brutalization of Israelis and innocent civilians in Gaza.
Video circulating on social media, confirmed by outlets like CNN and the New York Post, shows that Hamas wrangled a handful of what appeared to be adult males, dragged them blindfolded into a public square with their hands tied and executed them. The crowd surrounding them cheered. Although the exact day of the executions has not been confirmed, CNN reported it seems likely that it occurred after Trump’s peace deal. The New York Times reported they happened “days after” the current ceasefire.
Palestinian Resistance Factions, a Hamas ally, called the executions a “security campaign being carried out by the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza to enforce the law and pursue those who violate it, including collaborators, mercenaries, thieves, bandits, and those cooperating with the Zionist enemy throughout the Gaza Strip.”
Since when has enforcing the law – even in Gaza – meant carrying out public executions?
The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killings, as did the Independent Commission for Human Rights, the Palestinian national human rights watchdog.
However, pro-Palestine groups, protesters and even lawmakers in the United States have remained strangely silent.
Opinion: If Israel, Hamas peace deal holds, Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
The Democratic Party boasts several critics of Israel’s war in Gaza, yet they’ve not condemned Hamas’ executions. Some have praised the ceasefire, but they’re not praising Trump for his role.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, the first Palestinian American woman in Congress, has called Israel’s actions defending itself a genocide. Yet, to date, I haven’t seen her praise Trump for his efforts to institute the Israel-Gaza ceasefire nor condemn Hamas’ public executions via her official office press releases or social media accounts on X, where she maintains an active presence.
On Oct. 8, however, Tlaib did repost a social media account that quoted her saying, “The government of Israel is starving Gaza to death. It’s a war crime to use starvation as a weapon. The only way to end this genocide is with an arms embargo.”
There is an eerie silence from other politicians like Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, as well.
Share your opinion: Is Trump getting enough credit for Gaza ceasefire? Take our poll. | Opinion Forum
I see no outrage from Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, a U.S.-based nonprofit that lobbies for Palestinian rights. I see no statements of condemnation that I could find from the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights or the National Students for Justice in Palestine – but they have actively supported college and university students protesting for Palestine.
This doesn’t align with everyday Americans, either. According to a new YouGov/Economist Poll, most Americans support the peace deal between Israel and Hamas: 53% of respondents said they approve of the accord, and just 7% said they disapprove. Support did vary by ideology: just 41% of liberals compared with 74% of conservatives.
Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don’t have the app? Download it for free from your app store.
It appears that many pro-Palestinian groups, and even some Democratic lawmakers in the United States, are vocal in their support of Palestine, often using it as a platform to criticize Israel in ways that cross the line into antisemitism.
But when a Republican brokers peace or when Hamas terrorists execute civilians publicly after they agreed to a peace deal, these same people, once full of outspoken verve for Palestine, have nothing to say.
It’s shameful.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
