Hundreds of stages Gaza protests against Hamas, demanding the end of war with Israel
Social media posts show hundreds of Palestinians protesting in northern Gaza to demand an end to the war and chant “Hamas”, which in a rare public performance expressed opposition to radical groups, which, with the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the latest war.
Northern Gaza has been one of the most damaged areas of the enclave since the beginning of the conflict. Most buildings in densely populated areas have been reduced to ruins, and most of the population has moved several times.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly said the protests showed that the decision to renew the offensive in Israel was to work in Gaza, and the group’s executor, Hamas police, disappeared again after appearing during the ceasefire.
“Go out, go out, Hamas gets out.” The person seen in an article published on X was apparently published in the Beit Lahiya area of Gaza on Tuesday. It shows people walking along a dusty street between the buildings damaged by the war.
“This is a spontaneous rally against the war, because people are tired and they have no place to go,” said one witness. His name is not afraid of retribution.
“Many slogans about Hamas, not all, but many, but say ‘Hamas’. People are exhausted and no one should blame them,” he said.
The posts began to circulate widely later Tuesday. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video through buildings, utility poles and road layouts that matched satellite images of the area. Reuters cannot independently verify the date of the video. But several videos and photos shared on social media show protests in the area on Tuesday.
In other posts, a banner held by the crowd read “Enough War” and people shouted, “We don’t want to fight.”
“Suspicious political agenda,” Hamas said
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said people had the right to protest the suffering caused by the war, but he condemned what he called a “suspicious political agenda” and took advantage of the situation.
“Where are they from, what happened on the West Bank?” he said. “Why don’t they protest the aggression there or allow people to take to the streets to condemn this aggression?”
The comments reflect tensions among the future Palestinian factions in Gaza, hours after rival Fatah movement called on Hamas to “respond to the call of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.” Fatah leads the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Tallies said that more than 50,000 Palestinians killed Hamas-led gunmen in the Israeli campaign in Gaza, attacking communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 people as hostages.
Most of the narrow coastal enclaves have been reduced to rubble, leaving thousands of people hiding in tents or bombed buildings.
Netanyahu says Israeli policy work
Earlier in the war, thousands of residents who fled to southern Gaza earlier in the war returned to their devastated houses in the north after they came into effect in January.
Now, after re-launching its offensive on March 18, Israeli evacuation orders undermined a two-month truce, during which Hamas handed over more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons.
“All Gaza is in ruins, and now we are ordered to leave the north again, where to go?” said witnesses of the protest.
Netanyahu said the protests showed that Israel’s policies were working.
“In recent days, we have seen something unprecedented – Gaza’s public protest against Hamas’ rule. This shows that our policy is working. We are determined to achieve all our war goals.”
Hamas-Operating the Health Ministry said Israeli air strikes in Gaza damaged Nasser Hospital and killed at least 65 people in 24 hours. The ongoing attacks have caused some aid agencies to reduce the area’s footprint.
Since Israel resumed its strike against Gaza, its goal is to completely remove Hamas, with nearly 700 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
Hamas deployed thousands of police and security forces after the ceasefire came into effect in January, but its armed operations have been drastically withdrawn since the resumption of major Israeli attacks on March 18. In some areas, fewer police officers, while members and leaders of the Armed Wing avoided Israeli air strikes.
While official contacts aimed at bringing the ceasefire process back on track continue, there is little indication of central issues including future governance in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas took control of Gaza in elections in 2007, sweeping over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group. Since then, it has dominated the enclave with little room for any opposition. Some Palestinians warned to openly oppose the group so as not to fear retribution.
The two movements have been in conflict and have failed to bridge the differences in the future of post-war Gaza, with the Palestinian authorities saying it must belong to its power.
Hamas said he was willing to take a step back from active participation in government and said he had to participate in the choice of any government that would follow.
