Hundreds of Palestinians protested in northern Gaza on Tuesday to demand an end to war, chanting “Hamas out,” social media posts showed, in a second day of rare public show of opposition to the terror group.
The fact that protests against Hamas continued today and even expanded is “an indication that there is a shift in the public’s attitude toward Hamas,” an Israeli source said. Additionally, officials say the fact that protests have been ongoing for 48 hours shows they are indeed authentic.
The protests themselves, according to Israeli officials, began spontaneously. It is believed that the families from Beit Lahiya, whose relatives were hit by Israeli airstrikes, were the ones who started them.
However, in the last 24 hours, protests against Hamas have intensified in Gaza, including in Gaza City. The demonstrators are calling for action against Hamas and its leaders. In the Nuseirat neighborhood, where the IDF has not operated and the buildings remain relatively intact, a demonstration also took place.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting on Wednesday evening with senior security officials and Defense Minister Israel Katz on the matter. Katz warned earlier, “Soon, the IDF will operate with greater force in other areas of Gaza, and you will be required to evacuate, losing more and more territory. The plans are already prepared and approved. Learn from the residents of Beit Lahiya – demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages – this is the only way to end the war.”
In Israel, it is believed that the reason for the protest’s eruption is that the residents of Gaza realize the war will soon resume, while there is also concern over the cessation of aid, the displacement of the population due to IDF operations, and the lack of a solution or reconstruction for Gaza.
What could derail the protests?
What could derail the protests? It is believed that if Hamas manages to paint the unrest as having been orchestrated by the Palestinian Authority or Israel, it will portray the demonstrations as inauthentic.
Israel will continue its operations in Gaza in the coming days but will attempt to avoid harming civilians uninvolved in the fighting in order to prevent shifting public anger from Hamas to Israel.
At this stage, Hamas is trying to suppress the protests using non-violent means. However, as mentioned, in the coming days we will know whether this marks a dramatic shift or if Hamas has managed to bypass this obstacle as well.
“Out, out, out, Hamas get out,” chanted Gazan protesters in one of the posts published on X, apparently from the Beit Lahiya region of Gaza, on Tuesday. It showed people marching down a dusty street between war-damaged buildings.
“It was a spontaneous rally against the war because people are tired and they have no place to go,” said one witness, who spoke on condition that his name not be used for fear of retribution.
“Many chanted slogans against Hamas, not all people but many, saying ‘Out Hamas.’ People are exhausted and no one should blame them,” he said.
The posts began circulating widely late on Tuesday. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video by buildings, utility poles and road layout that matches satellite imagery of the area. Reuters was not able to independently verify the date of the video. However, several videos and photographs shared on social media showed protests in the area on March 25.
Social media activists circulated a video they said was of a protest by hundreds of people in Shejaia, a suburb of Gaza City, on Wednesday calling for the dismissal of Hamas, indicating the anti-Hamas protests may be spreading. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the video.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said people had the right to protest at the suffering inflicted by the war but he denounced what he said were “suspicious political agendas” exploiting the situation.
“Where are they from, what is happening in the West Bank?” he said. “Why don’t they protest against the aggression there or allow people to take to the streets to denounce this aggression?”
The comments, reflecting tensions among Palestinian factions over the future of Gaza, came several hours after the rival Fatah movement called on Hamas to “respond to the call of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”