As reported worldwide in April 2020, Aman and his fellow Gaza youth activists were imprisoned by Hamas for organizing a Zoom dialogue to build bridges for peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Following a months-long campaign led by UN Watch, Aman was released, and now lives abroad.

Following are highlights from Rami Aman’s video interview.

“Hamas Controlled the Media Inside Gaza, Does Not Allow Any Protests”

For nearly a decade leading up to his arrest, Aman was leading protests against Hamas from inside Gaza. But Al Jazeera’s cameras were nowhere to be found, he said, “because Hamas controlled the media inside Gaza.”

“From 2011 until 2019, I was organizing demonstrations and protests against Hamas. The big one was in 2017, in January. I was with other friends calling the people to go to the streets to let Hamas solve the electricity crisis, to let Hamas find for us a job. They shot at us and no media talked about us. Because of what? Because Hamas controlled the media inside Gaza and outside Gaza.”

“For many Palestinians, Al Jazeera not trusted inside Gaza. No Palestinian in Gaza watches Al Jazeera. No Palestinian in Gaza trusts in UNRWA. No Palestinian in Gaza trust in all of these media.”

“Hamas does not allow any protest inside Gaza calling for peace, or asking Hamas to end the war. But Hamas welcomes any kind of a protest happening in Israel. You will not find Al Jazeera cover any demonstration in Gaza calling for peace or calling to end the war. But you will find Al Jazeera cameras over the Israeli community, because they want the pressure comes from there, from Israel, not from Gaza.”

“If You Are Not Hamas, You Won’t Work at UNRWA”

“In 2007, Hamas started to control everything in Gaza. The media, UNRWA, the private sector… UNRWA was one of these organizations that Hamas distributed their leaders inside, and distributed their employees. Because in UNRWA, it’s like a very good salary for them, and it’s not for all people in Gaza.”

“Hamas started from 2009 to enter that syndicate of the employees inside Gaza and lead this kind of syndicate and also start like to make interviews for the people inside UNRWA. If you are not Hamas, you will not work there.”

Aid Stamped “Not For Sale” Looted by Hamas, Sold in Markets

Aman says that humanitarian aid from UNRWA—stamped “Not for Sale”—is sold in Gaza markets and malls. He blames Hamas and UNRWA.

“The humanitarian aid sells in the markets and sells in the malls inside Gaza. And it’s easy to find these foreign employees watching that. But it’s written “not for sale”—written by the United Nations. But it sells to the people. Who started that? UNRWA and Hamas also.”

“In the media, you will see nothing. But send your crew to Gaza and you will see that. Can you imagine that one cigarette cost $50? One cigarette, $50. So I think Hamas made a lot of money in the war,” said Aman.

“Hamas’s Decisions Came From Iran & Qatar, Hamas Loves Wars”

“Hamas decisions came from Iran, came from Qatar. Hamas decisions didn’t come from the people.”

“Hamas loves the wars. Hamas loves if there is no university. Hamas loves if there is no school. Hamas loves if there are no good lives for the people. Hamas loves if we have just tents in Gaza, just people standing in lines and waiting for food and flour. Hamas loves to control the poverty. Hamas loves if there is no kind of life.”

“How Come Amnesty is Calling For my Arrest?”

On April 8, 2020, Amnesty International researcher Hind Khoudary — who is now a popular Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza — publicly called on Hamas to arrest Rami Aman for his peace initiatives.

“In 2020, we organized a big conference between 10 Gazans and 300 Israelis,” explains Aman.

“We were talking about Coronavirus — not talking about one state or two states, or talking about negotiation. We were talking about how we can save each other.”

“And two days later, I found a post started from a journalist working with Amnesty called Hind Khoudary, asking Hamas and mentioning Hamas leaders on Facebook, to arrest me. And that happened just a day later.”

“This surprised me from the first time because when I checked Hind Khoudary’s profile I saw that she is working with Amnesty and she is a journalist and I know that she is a U.S. fellow.”

“So for me, how come Amnesty is calling for my arrest? How come a journalist asking the security to arrest me?”

From Prison, Rami Aman Hears a Voice at the UN Calling for His Freedom

The major NGOs mostly turned a blind eye to Hamas’s imprisonment of Rami Aman. However, UN Watch campaigned non-stop for his release, leading a coalition of 70 NGOs from around the world to appeal for Aman to be freed.

After months in a Hamas dungeon, on a phone call with his mother, the imprisoned Gaza peace activist was amazed to hear a voice at the United Nations demanding his freedom. It was UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer, speaking for an international coalition. Weeks later, Hamas released him.

In his new video interview, Aman recalls the moment: “August or September, in that time, Hamas security allowed the prisoners to make calls with the families six minutes every day, or every two days. It depends on what they feel.”

“And my mother told me that, ’Yesterday, they mentioned your name in the United Nations.’ I told her, ‘How? When?’”

“She told me, ‘They mentioned your name and 90 countries, they were calling for your freedom. And I told her, ’Mama, please next time when I call, you prepare that video and put it next to you. And when I call you, please let me listen.’

“And that happened two days [later. I called my mother and she was preparing the clip and I heard Hillel’s voice for the first time: ‘Rami Aman, a Palestinian peace activist, we are calling for his freedom… 90 countries: Brazil, Italy.’”

“It was like, yes, I feel in that time after five months, I felt that, okay, they still remember me. This is something good. But the strange thing for me, I don’t know Hillel himself.”

UN Watch Hails “Courageous Peace Activist Rami Aman”

UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer hailed Rami Aman as “a truly courageous peace activist who represents the dream of a Gaza freed from the terror grip of Hamas, advancing toward a positive future, based on a constructive vision that includes peace with the Israeli people.”

“Rami Aman is fearless in his pursuit of peace, a cause for which, time and again, he put his freedom and life on the line. The international community, and all who care about a Palestinian future, should be supporting Rami Aman and his movement for peace — instead of enabling the forces that arranged to put him in prison.”

UN Watch is an independent human rights group founded in 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland, receiving no financial support from any organization or government. We rely on the generosity of charitable donations.