Revelations at top hotel in Gaza reveal rock bottom in integrity
By Motti Verses
Staying in resort hotels should be a treat to enjoy, to unwind, to leave behind daily stress and exhausting life styles and experience the ultimate in relaxation. We’re willing to pay for it, and we’re only satisfied if our expectations are met with the service we receive.
Opening a hotel complex to meet these expectations is undoubtedly an exciting task if not also somewhat stressful. With a new property presenting 162 chalet-style rooms set among palm trees and overlooking the Mediterranean the potential for success should be guaranteed. The enthusiastic owner, investing enormous funds, needs to choose an alluring name that will entice his target audience – excuse the pun. The choice of this hotel was The Blue Beach Resort.
The location – Gaza City.
The entrepreneur of the promising resort was the Palestine Real Estate Investment Company (PRICO), a firm based in Ramallah in the West Bank. PRICO serves large segments of the Palestinian society, implementing projects such as Residential and Commercial Complexes, Commercial Towers, Hotels, Tourism Resorts, Public Building and Industrial Areas, with branches in Gaza, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. The Blue Beach Resort was built based on an agreement concluded with the Palestinian Ministry of Housing on the basis of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system. The agreement stipulates that PRICO develops and operates the resort for a period of 49 years, renewable for a similar period, and will be handed over to the authorities right after.
An outsider from another planet might rationally believe that peace and stability dominate the relations between Israel and the Palestinians, seeing children and toddlers happily playing and jumping into the hotel’s swimming pool while their content parents on patio deck chairs look on. The luxury Blue Beach Resort overlooking the calm serene blue of the Mediterranean with its manicured green lawns, a semi-Olympic-size swimming pool, luxury suites and a picture-perfect beach is a sight to behold and experience. The hotel’s online publication is spot on: “An ideal escape for family vacations and for recreational and relaxation purposes, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.”
THE ESCAPE SEEKERS
The hotel offered a home for journalists, aid workers, personnel of the UN and the International Red Cross, but mainly for rich Gazans and their families that sought an esthetic escape with an international ambiance. It provided an escape away from the trauma and tumult brought to Gaza since Hamas ruthlessly imposed its rule on the strip 16 years ago.
Belying the hotel’s majestic and tranquil setting since its opening in 2015, Gaza, under Hamas, launched on Israel’s civilian population an ongoing rocket barrage of 8259 missiles until the end of 2022. Yet during 2023, since October 7 and the unspeakable atrocities mainly against civilians, additional 9600 rockets inflamed the Middle East and initiated the 2023 Israel-Gaza war.
UNDER THE SURFACE
Israel understandably responded and launched its ground maneuver along the Gaza Strip beach to neutralize Hamas. Fierce battles commenced in the resort itself as dozens of terrorists launched anti-tank missiles at the Israeli troops from its guest rooms. The Blue Beach Resort turned into a battlefield. After a few weeks, Israel’s 14th Brigade conducted operations, dismantling concealed weapon storage facilities, missile launch platforms and underground command centers. Beneath the beautiful resort compound, a tunnel network was discovered. The Brigade and troops of the Yahalom Special Engineering Unit uncovered a troubling subterranean complex comprising seven tunnel shafts and living quarters, obviously not included in the hotel accomodation inventory, used by terrorists to plan and execute attacks. Additionally, IDF forces found an extensive hideout of weapons, including AK-47s, explosives and drones. Video footage as shown at the end indicates that access to some tunnels were available from numerous hotel guest corridors!
The relaxing atmosphere of the promising and pampering paradise resort transformed into a hell and inferno. Endless questions have arisen as to what were the real intentions of building this promising leisure resort adjacent to serene beaches? Was the tunnel network built alongside the hotel construction a decade ago? Were the tunnels dug later when the hotel was fully operational, hosting families and guests? Was the hotel’s General Manager and his leading team aware of the hotel being a base for weapons and terrorists while hosting civilian guests? These are serious questions that require truthful answers.
The director of al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip Muhammad Abu Salmiya was held for questioning following evidence showing that the hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas weaponized command and control center. A serious question-mark on medical ethics arose. Is there now a similar concern in Gaza’s hospitality industry? The answer is certainly yes. The ethical principles and integrity that I was nurtured on during my 35 years in the hotel industry were my constant compass. Honesty, being truthful, never mislead or deceive customers and team members who place the safety of their guests first and foremost – always.
The recent discovery by Israeli forces as to what was happening behind-the-scenes at PRICO’s Blue Beach Resort in Gaza is nothing less than a shameful disgrace. No less disappointing is the silence of the global hospitality industry!
About the writer:
The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/.
And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
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Pictures don’t show anything of substance. These tunnels aren’t from this location, they’re used in other articles stating similar propaganda. Life doesn’t bode well for those who assert themselves in lies like these.