Report Outrage and Calls for Resignation as Gaza Administration Committee Condolence Statement Sparks Backlash
A condolence statement from the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza has ignited widespread anger among displaced Palestinians and calls for its resignation, amid demands for urgent action on the ground rather than statements.
Exclusive – Shehab
A statement issued on Monday by the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, Dr. Ali Shaath, following a long silence, has triggered a wave of outrage and ridicule among residents of the Gaza Strip on social media platforms, particularly on the committee's official Facebook page.
Public anger erupted after the committee published a condolence post for the victims of the tragedy in which a sandbank collapsed onto the tents of displaced families in Deir al-Balah, amid growing calls for its members to resign and demands for radical, on-the-ground solutions to end their suffering, rather than settling for statements and humanitarian appeals.
“A condolence statement!”
The committee's statement, signed in the name of its head Dr. Ali Shaath, offered condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of the tragic Deir al-Balah incident, warning that the shelter crisis and the damage to tents caused by rain and harsh weather conditions have become a humanitarian emergency requiring urgent intervention.
In its statement, the committee called for pressure and coordination with international partners and mediators to bring in shelter and relief supplies and water drainage equipment without delay, and to translate pledges into concrete measures.
However, the statement, issued after a long wait amid harsh winter conditions and the ongoing tragedy of the displaced, was met with widespread sarcasm and overwhelming popular rejection on Facebook.
“Reprimand and demands for resignation”
Just minutes after it was posted, comments on the committee's post filled with dozens of replies focused on the absence of an effective role by the committee on the ground, turning the post into a platform for demanding resignation and accountability:
Citizens commented with biting sarcasm, with one writing: “Good, by God, we heard your voice,” another wrote: “Good that you remembered.. you finally woke up!!!”, and one woman commented: “You forgot to express your concern, guys.”
Voices calling for the committee to step down immediately grew louder; one commenter wrote: “You have failed and you do not represent any Gazan with your silence, you have become part of legitimizing the extermination.. the most honorable thing for you is to resign and leave without noise.” Another demanded: “Submit your resignation, that's better,” and another commented: “If there is any dignity, resign... so you don't bear the burden.”
Many citizens focused on the committee's role being limited to social media; one commented: “Your only job is appealing,” and another described it as “a social government only.” In a sharp comment, one citizen wrote: “So the committee's job is condolences and sympathy like the Bureij page 'Let's Gather'”, and another commented: “You finally woke up. But you're only good at meetings and statements.. you sound like public relations, not the Gaza administration committee.”
Displaced Palestinians expressed the reality of their suffering amid the weather depressions; one wrote in a lengthy message: “We, the displaced, no longer have the luxury of waiting, for every night in the rain is a threat to our lives, and every day of delay may bring a new tragedy. Enough statements and pledges, we want real action on the ground that ends our tragedy and preserves our dignity and our children's lives. We are not numbers in news bulletins, we are human beings exhausted by war and displacement.”
“The Peace Council bears responsibility”
On the political front, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued remarks on Monday holding the so-called “Peace Council” responsible for the continuation of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, considering that its silence toward the Israeli blockade has gone beyond helplessness to become complicity in the crime and a continuation of the extermination.
The movement's spokesman, Hazem Qassem, affirmed that the Peace Council did not merely remain silent but refrained from naming the occupation as a party obstructing the agreements and continuing the blockade.
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas stressed that the occupation army's claims about communicating with international bodies to provide a response to winter needs are merely “a blatant attempt to shirk its responsibility for the catastrophe,” affirming that the scenes of tens of thousands of tents flooding and hundreds of thousands being displaced expose these claims, as the occupation continues to obstruct the entry of shelter and reconstruction supplies and water drainage equipment.
The movement affirmed its total rejection of linking the entry of humanitarian aid and reconstruction to any political or security conditions, renewing its demand to the mediators, guarantors and the Peace Council to enable the National Committee to begin its duties and lift restrictions on the entry of shelter and relief supplies to save the stricken families under the rain and cold.
It demanded that the mediators and guarantors, as well as the Peace Council, bear their responsibilities and exert real pressure on the occupation to compel it to implement the concluded agreements, foremost among them the humanitarian protocol, allow the National Committee to enter and begin its duties, and lift the restrictions imposed on shelter, relief and reconstruction supplies.
