Palestinos chanted slogs against Hamas During a protest against the war in the Gaza Strip, according to videos online. Was A rare show of public discontent Against the armed group, which has long repressed the dissent and still governs the territory 17 months after the beginning of the war with Israel.
The videos, which seemed to be authentic, showed hundreds of people participating in a protest against war In the devastated northern city of Beit Lahiya Tuesday. People held posters that said “stop war”, “we refuse to die” and “the blood of our children is not cheap.”
You could listen to some chanting: “Out Hamas!” Other videos seemed to show Hamas supporters dispersing the crowds.
“We are fed up with bombing, massacre and displacement,” said Ammar Hassan, a young man from Beit Lahiya who participated in the protest.
He said he began as a protest against war with only a few dozen people, but then grew to more than 2,000 Unconspects, who chanted slogans against Hamas.
“It’s the only side we can affect,” he said on the phone. “The protests will not stop the occupation (Israeli), but They can affect Hamas“, said.
“The protest was not about politics. It was about people’s lives,” said Mohammed Abu Saker, a father of three children from the nearby city of Beit Hanoun, who joined the demonstration.
“We want to stop the killing and displacement, regardless of the price. We cannot prevent Israel from killing us, but we can press Hamas to make concessions,” he said.
A statement issued by the elders of the families of Beit Lahiya expressed support for protests against Israel’s offensive and its reinforced block. They also said that the community fully supports the armed resistance against Israel and rejects “any attempt to exploit legitimate popular demands for a fifth column,” apparently referring to Hamas opponents.
The protests exploded a week after Israel ended its high fire with Hamas by throwing an unexpected wave of attacks that killed hundreds of people. Earlier this month, Israel stopped the deliveries of food, fuel, medicines and humanitarian aid to the approximately two million Palestinians from Gaza.
Israel has promised to intensify the war until Hamas returns to the 59 hostages that still retainsof which it is believed that 24 are alive. Israel also demands that the group Give up power, disarm and send your leaders into exile. Hamas has said that he will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a high durable fire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The war began with the attack by Hamas to Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251. Hamas has said that only a handful of its main commanders knew the attack in advance.
Israel’s retaliation offensive has killed More than 50,000 peopleaccording to the Ministry of Health of Gaza, which does not specify how many were civil or combatants. The bombing and land operations of Israel have caused vast destruction and in their peak they displaced approximately 90% of the population of Gaza.
Hamas won an overwhelming victory in the last Palestinian elections, held in 2006. The following year he snatched power in Gaza from the Palestinian authority backed by the West, dominated by the Fatah secular movement, after months of disturbances between factions and a week of intense street fighting.
Human Rights Groups say that both the Palestinian and Hamas authority violently repress dissent, crushing protests in the areas that control and imprisoning and torturing critics.