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With congratulations and tears, Palestinians were predominately joyful over the liberation of Syria from the regime of Bashar al-Assad after more than five decades of dictatorial rule against the Syrian people.

Many Palestinians described to °®ÂþµºÌýthat the events in Syria were "a real victory over injustice, tyranny and corruption".

On Sunday, 8 December, Syria's army command notified officers that former dictator Bashar al-Assad's rule has ended, a Syrian officer told Reuters, following a rapid rebel offensive that took the world by surprise. Soon after, Syrians rushed to the streets to celebrate, while thousands rushed to the prisons to release the prisoners.Ìý

Videos spread widely on social media platforms to document the current historic moments. Besides the celebrations, Syrians documented sad moments when they released their prisoners; some of them disappeared in Assad's jails for decades.Ìý

"I am happy for the Syrian people with this great achievement [...] The horrific scenes we saw of Syrian prisoners who spent years of their lives in prisons without any hope of freedom one day made us cry," Mohammed Abdullah, a Palestinian man in Gaza, told TNA.Ìý

The most emotional moment for Abdullah was when he saw some videos of Syrian refugees returning to their homes after over a decade.Ìý"I imagined myself when I return to my house [even if it was destroyed] I will cry over my happiness," the 35-year-old father of two said.Ìý

He hoped the Syrians would not face any difficulties rebuilding their country politically, economically, culturally and socially.Ìý

"Syria taught us the real culture, and I am confident that its people are mature and understand the true meaning of freedom. Syria's victory is our Palestinian victory, too," Maysoun Ali, a Palestinian woman in Gaza, remarked to TNA.Ìý

"Despite our pain in Gaza due to Israel's war, Syria was able to steal our hearts with joy and jubilation over this great victory [...] and restored our hope that the war on Gaza might one day end and that we might regain our freedom as well," she said.Ìý

On the other hand, Salem Abdul Aal, from Gaza City, expressed fears for the future of Syria, especially if the opposition with a political Islamic ideology dominates power and follows the same path as Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship by killing opponents and implementing an iron rule.Ìý

"Unfortunately, we have experienced a similar reality, although the events were different, with Hamas, which has had close relations with Iran and Bashar al-Assad for many years, claiming that they are part of the 'axis of resistance' [...] But on the ground, Hamas practised military and oppressive rule against all its opponents in Gaza and did not hesitate to imprison, torture, and even kill anyone who tried to demand change or hold elections in Gaza," the young man said.Ìý

"Over the years and many experiences in Arab countries, Islamists have proven that they are no less violent than the unjust and dictatorial Arab rulers [...] Therefore, I hope that the brotherly Syrian people will learn from our experience, which we are currently paying the price for in this war that Hamas brought to Gaza only to implement Iranian plans in the Middle East," he cautioned.Ìý

PA and Hamas congratulate, Islamic Jihad has reservations

In a press statement sent to TNA, the PA president's office said that "the State of Palestine and its people stand by the brotherly Syrian people, respecting their will and political choices in a way that guarantees their security and stability and preserves their achievements."

"We reaffirm the need to respect the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and to preserve its security and stability, wishing continued progress and prosperity for the brotherly Syrian people," the presidency's statement said.Ìý

Meanwhile, Hamas also congratulated the Syrian people on their "success in achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice," calling on all components of the Syrian people to unite their ranks, further national cohesion, and rise above the pains of the past.

"We and our Palestinian people stand firmly with the great Syrian people, and we emphasize the unity of Syria and the integrity of its territories, and respect for the Syrian people, their will, independence, and political choices," Hamas said in a press statement.Ìý

For its part, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said in a press statement that "the changes that have occurred in Syria are a Syrian affair, and are related to the choices of the Syrian people."

"We hope that Syria will remain a true supporter and backer of the Palestinian people and their just cause, as it has always been," the PIJ added.Ìý

Israel's new Middle East?

Palestinian political analysts believe that the events in Syria directly affect the situation of Hamas in Gaza, mainly since Israel has succeeded in dismantling the so-called "axis of resistance" and Iran's arms in the Middle East by directing and consequential strikes at all of Iran's allies.

In separate interviews with TNA, political analysts argued that Hamas has become besieged, and its options have become limited in terms of imposing its conditions in any negotiations with Israel, especially since it has been left alone to confront the power of Israel, which America supports.

"Unfortunately, Israel has become able today to draw the features of the new Middle East that Israel has always wanted to achieve with American help [...] Currently, Netanyahu is racing against time before the US president-elect assumes his presidential position by isolating Syria, as he did in Lebanon, from what is happening in Gaza, and this means that Hamas has lost its military and political power," Khalil Shahin, a political analyst in Ramallah, opined toÌýTNA.Ìý

"In light of these developments, Hamas has become besieged, and its options are limited, so it is important to reconcile with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority and build a unified Palestinian entity at least in order to confront the Zionist-US plans in our lands," he added.Ìý

Fadel Sahboub, another Ramallah-based political analyst, shared a similar opinion. He argued that Israel and US have worked to strike "the axis of resistance" extending between Iran, Syria and Lebanon, in whichÌýDamascus plays a role as a link between those fronts.

Sahboub believes that despite Israel's failure to achieve certain strategic goals in the recent confrontations with Gaza and Lebanon, it is now seeking to direct its efforts towards the new Syrian government to weaken Iran and stop the flow of support to its allies in the region.

"Hamas faces a difficult fate after Israel dismantled the [Iranian] axis of resistance, and it cannot achieve any victory over Israel unless it moves towards political solutions, which in turn requires it to adopt a real reconciliation with Fatah and to be included within the PLO and to wage a political battle—even if it is long the term—but at least it will enable it to achieve some national accomplishments," he said.Ìý