Key Takeaways:
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Hamas was the only party to reject the UN Security Council adoption of the Trump peace plan for Gaza, even as major global powers and Arab states supported it.
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International media downplayed Hamas’ refusal to pursue peace, continuing a pattern of soft-pedaling the terror group’s ideology while misplacing blame onto Israel.
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Hamas continues to terrorize and intimidate Gazans — even during the ceasefire — yet the international media largely ignore these abuses, obscuring the group’s true role in obstructing peace.
On Monday, November 17, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2803, approving the implementation of the 20-point Peace Plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The resolution outlines how the two parties can advance to the next phase of the ceasefire and begin shifting the focus toward rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
A “Board of Peace,” led by President Trump and authorized by an International Stabilization Force (ISF), would be implemented to disarm terrorist organizations in Gaza and assist in delivering humanitarian aid, among other responsibilities.
Thirteen votes were cast in favor, zero against, and China and Russia both abstained. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas’ patrons Qatar and Turkey also welcomed the resolution.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad reacted to the vote with a statement vowing to treat any international force as a “party to the conflict,” meaning more violence. But Hamas’ opposition is hardly surprising given their insistence on portraying themselves as the victors of the war. The dissonance that the media cannot seem to reconcile is that Hamas claims to be the group that represents and governs over the people the plan is meant to help.
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Less surprisingly, but certainly more disappointingly, is the international media’s failure to delve into the details of Hamas’ rejection and what it means more broadly for the future of the peace plan.
The New York Times, for instance, spent an entire article discussing the countries – including several Muslim and Arab nations – that welcomed the adoption of the resolution and its implications in the broader context of peace.
But similar to how Hamas stood alone in rejecting the agreement, The New York Times also chose to gloss over that critical fact. While it’s encouraging that the international community wants to see an end to the war, shouldn’t it be headline news that the party actually waging the war has no real interest in ending it? Shouldn’t Hamas’ absolute rejection of any form of peace deserve, at the bare minimum, one paragraph?
After years of Hamas openly declaring its goals, the media continues to conceal this reality, seeking to portray the terrorist organization instead as peacemakers while shifting the blame for the continued conflict onto Israel. But as the saying goes, when someone – or in this case, a terrorist organization – shows you who they are, believe them.
Recognizing that a terrorist organization is, in fact, committed to terror has become strangely muddled in much of today’s international coverage. This confusion is only amplified by media outlets that refuse to identify Hamas as a terrorist organization in the first place.
Hey, @NBCNews, what exactly is a “militant-political group?”
Militants? Politicians? Militant politicians?
We can tell you: Hamas is a terrorist organization. Period. pic.twitter.com/FNAJ9TVSGu
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 19, 2025
As a terrorist organization, Hamas not only commits terror attacks against Israeli civilians but also seeks to instill fear in the Palestinian population in Gaza. Since the ceasefire began, Hamas has repeatedly violated it, targeting both IDF troops across the yellow line and ordinary Gazans.
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Hamas Arrests a Desalination Plant Employee
This week, Hamas once again attempted to intimidate Palestinians when it arrested an employee of a water desalination plant in Gaza without any known reason. In a rare display of dissent, the rest of the staff at the plant went on strike.
For Hamas, maintaining control and projecting influence over the Gaza Strip has always taken precedence over actually providing essential infrastructure to the civilians who depend on them.
Abdul Salam Yaseen Co. – Eta, a major operator of water-desalination plants in the Gaza Strip, issued a statement announcing the shutdown of all its facilities and the suspension of all services after the arbitrary detention of its operations director, Mohammad Abu Awda, by Hamas… pic.twitter.com/U9yqsQynbX
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) November 18, 2025
The media had a choice of whether to portray Hamas’ arbitrary arrest as a true reflection of the terror regime’s authoritarian nature or gloss over the brave display of dissent amongst Gazans. Reuters opted for the latter. Other media outlets decided to skip over the story altogether.
One can also imagine that if this potential disruption to Gazans’ water supply is eventually covered, the blame will somehow fall on Israel.
However, this act of defiance may signal that Hamas is growing vulnerable enough that further protests could emerge again. If that happens, how long will it take for the media to notice, and when they do, how faithfully will they portray the risks faced by Palestinians who dare to defy Hamas publicly?
As long as the media continues to obscure or distort Hamas’ ideology, the public will be kept in the dark as to which party is really at fault for obstructing peace. Any realistic path forward requires acknowledging Hamas’ true nature, its ongoing rejection of peace, and the courage of Gazans who dare to resist it. Only then can genuine progress toward Middle East peace – and an accurate, responsible media narrative – begin to take shape.
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