Dr. Salman Diyah condemns Hamas attack on Israel

Dr. Salman Diyah, a prominent Islamic figure in Gaza, condemned Hamas' attack on Israel.

Dr. Salman Diyah, former dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law at the Islamic University of Gaza, one of the most prominent Islamic figures and the most respected religious authority in Gaza, strongly condemned the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel in a rare fatwa, which he believes led to a devastating war in the Palestinian territories.

A fatwa is a non-binding legal ruling from a respected religious scholar. In a six-page document, Dr. Salman criticized the Hamas attack, which he said "violated the Islamic principles governing jihad."

He pointed out that jihad means struggle and in Islam it means fighting in the way of God for spiritual improvement or military war against infidels, adding: "The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 caused Israel to launch a military operation to destroy Hamas in Gaza, and this war has killed many innocent civilians, including children."

Dr. Diyah said in the fatwa: "If the pillars, causes, or conditions of jihad are not present, it should be avoided to prevent the destruction of people's lives. This is something that is easily understood by the politicians of our country, so this attack should have been avoided."

He also stated: "The significant civilian casualties in Gaza, along with the extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure and the humanitarian catastrophe that followed the October 7 attack, demonstrate the direct contradiction of this attack with the teachings of Islam. Hamas has failed to fulfill its duties to keep its forces away from the homes of defenseless Palestinian civilians and their shelters and to provide them with security and safety as much as possible in various aspects of life, economy, health, education and adequate provision of resources."

In the fatwa, he stressed: “According to Islamic law, a military attack should not lead to a response that goes beyond the intended benefits of the action. Human life is more valuable to God than Mecca.” He also declared his direct opposition to Hamas’s approach to armed resistance and its ties to Shiite-ruled Iran.

In addition to the October 7 Hamas attack, Dr. Salman also condemned extremism and opposed the jihadist groups Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda.

Dr. Salman Diyah's fatwa is embarrassing and damaging for Hamas, as the group often justifies its attacks on Israel with religious arguments in order to gain support from Arab and Muslim communities.