Fed Up: Palestinians Protest Hamas

Anti-war protests broke out in Gaza this week, with demonstrators openly criticizing Hamas in a rare public challenge, and demanding an end to the ongoing conflict with Israel that has ravaged the territory, the Associated Press reported.

The largest protest erupted Tuesday in the bombed-out town of Beit Lahiya, where a small crowd quickly grew to more than 2,000 people holding signs that read “Stop the war,” “Hamas get out,” and “We refuse to die.”

Eyewitnesses and videos posted online showed demonstrators waving white flags and calling on Hamas to release the hostages it holds in exchange for peace. Similar demonstrations took place on Tuesday and Wednesday in Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood and Jabaliya refugee camp.

While some participants voiced anger at Israel and international actors, much of the frustration was directed at Hamas, which many accuse of failing to protect civilians or deliver on promises of resistance.

“Hamas is not taking us into account,” one protester told NPR, while also calling for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. “It has 2 million people in Gaza who need to live.”

Despite Hamas’s longstanding suppression of public dissent since it took over the enclave almost 20 years ago, it did not break up the demonstrations, possibly due to its diminished capacity following months of Israeli strikes. Some Gazans said they felt emboldened to speak out for the first time.

The rare outburst of dissent follows a resumption of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire.

The war in the Palestinian enclave followed an attack by Hamas and its allies on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Israel’s response – an air and ground offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas and securing the release of hostages – has killed more than 50,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Israel has vowed to continue the campaign until Hamas is dismantled and the 59 remaining hostages – 24 of whom are believed to be alive – are returned. Hamas has said it will only agree to a release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seized on the moment, telling lawmakers on Wednesday that the protests showed Israel’s policy was working.

“We have seen something the likes of which we have never seen … large, open protests in Gaza against Hamas rule,” he said.

Political analysts said the protests reflect the growing despair among Palestinians after 17 months of bloody conflict, with Israeli commentators suggesting that Israel should “seize the crack that has opened and widen it further and further.”