CAIRO — On Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians marched through the ruins of a devastated town in northern Gaza, marking the second day of anti-war demonstrations. In a rare display of public opposition, many protesters voiced slogans against Hamas.
The demonstrations, largely concentrated in northern Gaza, appeared to be primarily focused on ending the war. Protesters demanded an end to the 17 months of deadly conflict with Israel, which has rendered life in Gaza unbearable.
However, the protesters also voiced unusually direct and public criticism of Hamas, which has historically suppressed dissent with violence in Gaza, a territory it continues to govern despite the ongoing war with Israel.
In Beit Lahiya, the site of a similar protest on Tuesday, approximately 3,000 people demonstrated, with many chanting, “the people want the fall of Hamas.” In the heavily impacted Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, groups of men chanted, “Out, out, out! Hamas get out!”
“Our children have been killed. Our houses have been destroyed,” said Abed Radwan, who said he joined the protest in Beit Lahiya “against the war, against Hamas, and the (Palestinian political) factions, against Israel and against the world’s silence.”
Ammar Hassan, who participated in Tuesday’s demonstration, reported that it began as an anti-war protest with a few dozen participants but grew to over 2,000, with people chanting against Hamas.
“It’s the only party we can affect,” he said by phone. “Protests won’t stop the (Israeli) occupation, but it can affect Hamas.”
While the militant group has previously violently suppressed protests, no overt intervention was apparent this time, possibly due to Hamas maintaining a lower profile since Israel resumed its offensive.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim acknowledged the right to protest in a Facebook post, but suggested that the focus should be on Israel, whom he termed the “criminal aggressor.”
‘We want to stop the killing’
Family elders from Beit Lahiya voiced their support for the protests against Israel’s renewed offensive and tightened blockade on Gaza. They stated that the community fully supports armed resistance against Israel.
“The protest was not about politics. It was about people’s lives,” said Mohammed Abu Saker, a father of three from the nearby town of Beit Hanoun, who joined a demonstration Tuesday.
“We want to stop the killing and displacement, no matter the price. We can’t stop Israel from killing us, but we can press Hamas to give concessions,” he said.
According to witnesses, a similar protest took place in the heavily damaged area of Jabaliya on Tuesday.
One protester in Jabaliya, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, stated that they joined the demonstration because “everyone failed us.”
They said they chanted against Israel, Hamas, the Western-backed Palestinian Authority and Arab mediators. They reported that while there were no Hamas security forces present, scuffles broke out between supporters and opponents of the group.
They later expressed regret for participating, citing Israeli media coverage that emphasized the opposition to Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz encouraged Palestinians to join the protests.
“You too should demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages. That is the only way to stop the war,” he stated.
A 19-year-old Palestinian, also speaking anonymously for fear of retribution, said he planned to join demonstrations on Wednesday. With his mother battling cancer and his 10-year-old brother hospitalized with cerebral palsy, he said his family has been displaced multiple times since their home was destroyed.
“People are angry at the whole world,” including the United States, Israel, and Hamas, he said. “We want Hamas to resolve this situation, return the hostages, and end this whole thing.”
Renewed fighting brings more death and displacement
The protests followed a week after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds of people. Earlier this month, Israel halted deliveries of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns the 59 hostages it still holds — 24 of them believed to be alive. Israel is also demanding that the group give up power, disarm and send its leaders into exile.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have caused vast destruction and at their height displaced some 90% of Gaza’s population.
Hamas secured a decisive victory in the last Palestinian elections, held in 2006. Following months of internal conflict and a week of intense street battles, it seized control of Gaza from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, dominated by the secular Fatah movement, the following year.
Rights groups say both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas violently suppress dissent, quashing protests in the areas they control and jailing and torturing critics.
—El Deeb reported from Beirut.
“`