The demonstrators in Gaza who confronted Hamas will face a challenge if they seek to extend their protests. If they can grow and continue for several days, then they may overcome the pushback that generally comes with these types of movements.
The protests spread on Tuesday, and videos appeared to show them in several parts of Gaza. It was difficult to quantify the size or number of the demonstrations because many of the videos showed only a portion of what was taking place.
Most media outlets in Gaza are heavily controlled by Hamas, which means it is difficult to get independent reports on what is happening. At the same time, the protests took place as Israel is expanding its ground operations and asking people to leave areas in northern and southern Gaza.
The next few days will be a test for the protests to see if they can sustain and grow. This is because Hamas is likely disorganized so far in its response. After Israel began a new campaign against Hamas on March 18, the group fled and returned to hiding in tunnels.
Hamas is no longer able to hold parades in the streets, as it did during the January and February ceasefire. The IDF has targeted Hamas political leaders in Gaza, as well as Hamas pickup trucks. Many of these had not been targeted during the first 15 months of war.
It’s not clear what set off the protests. Many people seem angry that Hamas was not able to extend the ceasefire throughout Ramadan. Hamas has been stalling in talks in Doha and Cairo. It has put forward demands, and it has refused to extend the ceasefire. It says it wants an end to the war. Gazans also want an end to the war.
However, it’s not clear what suddenly angered people about Hamas rule. Hamas has destroyed Gaza for 15 years. It has plunged it into endless wars. An entire generation has been raised under ruinous rule.
Protesters face challenges
If the protests continue, the people will begin to feel the power in their hands. Once they break the myth of Hamas’s power, they will feel in control. Reports online indicate that some tribes and clans have expressed support for the protests in southern and northern Gaza. There have been calls for them to spread to Deir el-Balah, Nuseirat, and Khan Yunis, key Hamas-controlled areas. In addition, they appear to be taking place in northern Gaza, in Beit Lahiya, and also near the Indonesian hospital.
The areas in northern Gaza are areas that Gazans returned to during the ceasefire. Many of these areas have been devastated in the fighting during 2024. Clearly, the people in these areas want time to rebuild. They don’t want to be evacuated again, after having been evacuated several times last year. This may be one reason they are so outraged. They know Hamas won’t stand and fight the IDF. They know Hamas is hiding in hospitals and tunnels and that it brings ruin to Gaza.
The protesters face other challenges. A lot of the media in Gaza are tied to Hamas or work with and for organizations and countries that back Hamas. Doha-based Al Jazeera, for instance, will have to discuss whether it should cover these protests, because Hamas leaders live in Doha and Doha has been sympathetic to Hamas.
In other cases, the protesters may not receive support from human rights groups, UN organizations, and NGOs because many NGOs and UN groups in Gaza also work closely with Hamas or have been infiltrated by Hamas. This is a hurdle for the activists.
It’s possible that the PA or Gulf countries, which quietly oppose Hamas, will want to see the protests spread. However, those countries have not proven effective in the past at opposing Hamas rule. Could the protests help Cairo with its plans to fund reconstruction in Gaza? Could it help lead to the disarmament of Hamas?
These are early days, and it is not clear. Gaza has been pivotal in the past in Palestinian history. The protests that began the First Intifada also began in Gaza. They were quickly exploited by both Fatah and then later Hamas after the latter was founded.
In fact, one can see the roots of Hamas in those protests that broke out in 1987, which formed the backdrop for the First Intifada. Then, Hamas was trying to be the opposition, the protest movement. Now, Hamas is the oligarchy that runs and ruins Gaza. Will it be toppled by popular protests?