Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets across northern Gaza on Tuesday in rare public protests against Hamas, calling for an end to the war with Israel and expressing mounting frustration over worsening living conditions.
The demonstrations, which began in Beit Lahiya near the Indonesian Hospital and spread to the Jabaliya refugee camp, reflected growing discontent with Hamas’s control and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe engulfing the territory. The Media Line spoke with Gaza residents who participated in the protests.
“We are starving, and we are dying under the rubble,” protesters shouted, as others set tires on fire and blocked roads. Videos shared on social media showed crowds of young men confronting Hamas authorities—a striking scene in a territory where dissent has long been met with swift repression.
Security forces, including officers in civilian clothing, were reportedly deployed to disperse the demonstrations, with several participants detained.
The timing of the protests
The protests followed the collapse of a two-month ceasefire and the resumption of Israeli military operations on March 18. More than five months into the war, much of Gaza lies in ruins. Northern areas, in particular, have faced acute shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
The United Nations has warned that famine is imminent. Local health authorities report that nearly 700 Palestinians have died in the past week alone as fighting intensifies.
While Gaza residents have typically refrained from publicly criticizing Hamas—partly due to fear of retribution—the depth of the current crisis appears to be pushing many to speak out. Protesters accused the group of prioritizing its political and military objectives over the lives of civilians. “Enough war. Enough destruction. We want to live,” they chanted.
A group calling itself the “State of Palestine Families and Clans of the Southern Governorates” released a statement urging a mass “march of anger” to protest against what it described as years of oppression and misrule by Hamas. “Steadfast people of Gaza, enough is enough. There is no longer room for silence or waiting after years of oppression, starvation, and destruction,” the statement read. It demanded that Hamas “lift its hand from Gaza immediately and end the unjust siege imposed on us through decisions that do not represent our will.”
Further calls for protests
Another statement, issued by “the clans and people of Shuja’iyya,” called for mass protests on Wednesday at Shuja’iyya Roundabout. “O, our free people in Gaza, O, our steadfast people of Shuja’iyya, enough has to be said—silence is no longer an option in the face of destruction, starvation, siege, and the ongoing killing we are suffering,” the statement read.
According to residents, the protests are being led by local intellectuals and journalists—an unusual development in a tightly-controlled enclave where critics have often been jailed or attacked. Since taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Hamas has ruled with an iron grip, violently dispersing previous protests and suppressing dissent.
Hamas has not released an official response to the demonstrations, but increased security has been reported in the areas where the protests occurred.
While the protests remain limited in scope, they represent one of the most visible expressions of internal dissent in Gaza in over a decade. Whether this signals the start of broader unrest remains uncertain, but it reflects a population growing increasingly unwilling to endure war and deprivation in silence.
Giorgia Valente and Dario Sanchez contributed to this report.