Part of what stokes Gazans’ bitterness, according to “Hisham,” is the ostentatious behavior of Hamas leaders. “Nowadays, it’s not an occupier who is killing me,” he says, but rather Hamas, which imposes crushing taxes, leaving Gazans in abject poverty, while its officials have “land, businesses, and vast sums of money.”

Hamas imposes a heavy tax burden, collecting roughly $30 million per month from already be-leaguered Gazans. These taxes fund a largely opaque budget, even the purpose of which is secret. Yet Hamas “offers few services in exchange, and most aid and relief projects are covered by the international community,” reports AP. Mohammed Agha, a gas station owner feeling the pinch, lamented, “Before Hamas, 1,000 shekels (about $320) a month was enough for a family to get by. Now, 5,000 isn’t enough because they tax the citizens.”

Meanwhile, despite outwardly projecting an air of austerity, Hamas officials and their families live in relative luxury. In 2009, Hamas political bureau chairman Ismail Haniyeh declared, "Our hands are clean. We do not steal funds, hold real estate, or build villas." Yet in recent years, Haniyeh’s son has become widely known in Gaza as “Abu al-Aqarat [Father of Properties]” for extensive real estate holdings made possible by his father’s influence. Earlier this month, Palestinian journalist Lara Ahmed reported that Haniyeh has laundered several million dollars among his extended family. As Palestinian journalist Akram Atallah observed that “Hamas as an authority has been exposed,” he said. “The people found out that its leaders live much better than they do.”

Gazan youth sometimes respond to such information with dark humor. Last year, local activists launched a social media campaign drawing attention to Hamas financial impropriety, titled "Our Hands Are Clean." A recent poll by The Washington Institute found not only that large majorities of Gazans “are frustrated with Hamas governance,” but also that 84 percent of Gazans prioritize “internal political and economic reform over foreign policy issues.”