Hamas ‘not a humanitarian NGO’

It is incredible that Jim Roche (Letters, July 15) of the so-called Irish Anti-War Movement actually defends Hamas, saying its purpose is to "defend the people of Gaza" and that it formed a "peaceful unity pact" recently with the Palestinian Authority.

One would think that he was describing some kind of humanitarian NGO!

The brutal facts are this: Hamas is a fanatic, Islamist terrorist organisation, recognised internationally, including by the European Union, to be a criminal organisation; it has ruled Gaza since 2007 with an iron hand, suppressing, torturing and murdering all opposition; and it has implemented a mediaeval-style regime which has turned Palestinian women into second-class citizens and makes life impossible for homosexuals.