H., a resident of Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood, has not visited Gaza since he was forced to flee from it several years ago following threats from the Hamas government.
Since the start of Hamas' war with Israel, he has followed the situation of relatives who are currently sheltering in a school in southern Gaza.
Recently, H. spoke to Israel Hayom, about the war, Hamas' control of Gaza and treatment of its people, and his own worries.
"It's hard to contact them via WhatsApp, and every day I think 100 times that maybe they are G-d forbid dead," H. told Israel Hayom. "Hamas does not care about the people in Gaza."
"When the residents saw what [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar did, they were surprised and afterwards they began to call him an 'ahbal,' a crazy person. People are really tired of the wars, it's enough. How much can you take it? We're sick of it. We know that Hamas are the ones who started this war - what Sinwar did is suicide," H. told Israel Hayom.
"In northern Gaza, entire neighborhoods and homes have been erased. My parents and siblings left their home taking hardly anything with them, they rushed to leave. At the beginning they went to the area of al-Shati', where they stayed with relatives, and afterwards they traveled towards the south. My 19-year-old brother was hurt by shrapnel in the explosions, and now they are, like everyone else, trying not to leave the building they are in, waiting three hours to refill their water, eating whatever is left, sleeping on the floor, giving the mattresses to children while the men sleep on the tile floor."
H. realized even before the war that so long as Hamas is in power, there is no chance of living a normal life: "We always knew that Hamas is stealing the Qatari money, taking fuel and electricity for itself instead of giving it to the people who live in Gaza," he said.
H. also expressed hope that Israel will completely destroy Hamas, which he blamed for Gaza's deterioration.
"The tanks, the Israeli military presence in Gaza, and what your military is doing are a tremendous humiliation for Hamas. The movement will not remain the same because even after the war its members will be wanted and pursued here and abroad."
"I hope that Hamas will be finished after this war, but don't think it will happen in one day. For 17 years they built their power and infrastructure within the civilian population and the institutions which run the people's lives."
"This will take many years. There needs to be a plan which has the goal of emptying Hamas from all its authorities and governing abilities in Gaza. Meaning, we need to strip Hamas of all areas of responsibility and all systems by which it controls the people. We need to fight its economic supplies, so that it does not rule the central power station in Gaza, or its electricity, or anything."
H. also told Israel Hayom that "changing the regulations at the Rafah Crossing is a key factor. There needs to be supervision there. If you want to bring the Palestinian Authority and international bodies, or you want to bring the Europeans back to the Rafah Crossing - okay. But the main thing is that Hamas should not run it. There was never any supervision of what enters through it, Hamas did what it wanted to do."
Regarding a possible prisoner swap, H. emphasized that any agreement must be drafted in a way which will not allow Hamas a psychological victory.
"It's clear that people would be very happy if Palestinian prisoners were freed from jail, but I also hear residents saying, 'What is all this worth now after the killing, the war, the losses of life, and the enormous damage which was caused? You sacrificed all of Gaza and destroyed it for this? Will a few thousand prisoners compensate for this enormous cost?'"
Meanwhile, similar to H., tens of thousands of young Gazans have emigrated in the past two decades.
H. explained, "We left because we did not see a future in Gaza, but Gaza has never left my heart. I and my friends live in Europe, we see that there is yet another war, and we do not want to return because we tell ourselves that there is no hope, no future on the horizon. But if they manage to destroy Hamas, I am the first who will be back. Until we see it with our own eyes - we will not believe it."