Anti-Hamas Protests in Gaza Enter Third Day

International Desk

Anti-Hamas protests in the southern Gaza Strip have entered their third consecutive day.

Videos circulating on social media show hundreds of Palestinians taking to the streets, demanding an end to the war and calling for Hamas to leave Gaza. Protesters chanted slogans like: “Leave, leave, Hamas—get out of Gaza!”

Speaking out against Hamas in Gaza is extremely risky. On Tuesday, journalists received threats via WhatsApp groups warning them not to publish any negative news that could affect public morale.

Social activists stated that the movement was initiated by young people and later joined by those heading to shelters to collect food, carrying cooking pots in their hands as they protested.

The protesters’ anger is primarily directed at the Hamas leadership, particularly over an old interview where senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said, “This war with Israel will continue forever. We will rebuild our homes and replace every martyr with dozens of children.”

In a protest in Khan Yunis, a young man was heard saying in a video, “You are selling our blood for just one dollar. Beware, Hamas members—Gazans will dig your graves with their own hands.”

Although some anti-Hamas protests had surfaced in northern Gaza in recent months, Hamas still holds a firm grip in the south. However, this time, public anger has erupted openly in Khan Yunis, which protestors claim had previously been suppressed.

Due to Israeli restrictions, BBC and other international journalists are unable to report directly from Gaza, making it difficult to assess the situation.

Since Monday, Israel has been conducting daily airstrikes on Khan Yunis. On that day, the Israeli military ordered residents of the city’s eastern areas to move to the coastal Al-Mawasi camp.

One protester, using the pseudonym “Ala,” told the BBC, “People are no longer afraid of Hamas’s threats because they are already dying daily from hunger, displacement, and bombings.”

Ala, a resident of northern Gaza, said he had been displaced nearly 20 times in the past 19 months and could not even afford a tent. He was once imprisoned for participating in an anti-Hamas movement in 2019.

He said, “Resistance does not mean Hamas. Resistance will remain even without Hamas. But with this policy (of continuing war), we will lose all of Palestine.”

“We only want our children to live in peace. We appeal to the world to put pressure on both Israel and Hamas so that our lives and our children’s lives can be saved.”

Criticizing Hamas in Gaza is a life-threatening act. In March, 22-year-old Odai Al-Rubai was abducted, tortured, and killed for participating in an anti-Hamas movement. Reports suggest many others have been beaten, shot, or even killed for openly opposing Hamas.

Ala recounted that on Monday, when protesters reached Nasser Hospital, some individuals tried to stop them. One person even attempted to draw a weapon but was prevented by someone nearby. He said, “They couldn’t do anything because the number of protesters was too large.”

Mumen Al-Natour, co-founder of the “We Want to Live” movement, a lawyer, and a former political prisoner, said, “Repeated displacement, suffering, and exhaustion have turned into anger among the people. Hamas’s refusal to surrender and its insistence on keeping weapons have infuriated the population.”

According to the United Nations, over 57,000 people in southern Gaza have been displaced again since May 15. According to Hamas-controlled health ministry figures across Gaza, more than 53,000 people have been killed since the war began, including 82 in the last 24 hours alone.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages into Gaza. In response, Israel initiated military operations aimed at destroying Hamas.

Gaza’s anti-Hamas protestors believe that Israel’s retaliatory strikes are a consequence of Hamas’s provocations and repeated targeting of Israel. They argue that if Hamas had not acted recklessly, Israel would not have launched such attacks. Peace-loving Gazans want Hamas’s recklessness to end, as they lack the capability to counter Israel.