Palestinians took to the streets against Hamas in Gaza again on Wednesday, a day after hundreds protested, in a sign of deepening anger at the militant group as frustration over the destruction of their homes and lives spills into the open.
“Out, out, Hamas out,” crowds shouted in the Shujaiya, Gaza City, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Hamas tried to suppress Tuesday’s protests, but at least one of its fighters was beaten by the crowd, said Abu Tamer, a resident of Beit Lahiya.
“Hamas did not prevent the protests because they completely disappeared from the streets. They cannot stand up to the population who are against them”, Abu Tamer said.
In 2019, Hamas brutally cracked down on Palestinians protesting against worsening economic conditions, subjecting them to beatings, detentions and torture, human-rights activists documented.
A similar protest occurred in 2023.
The protests indicate that some Gazans are ready to risk their lives to be heard.
By Wednesday, protests had erupted again in Beit Lahiya, Deir al Balah and Al Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.
“You stupid Hamdan,” crowds of young men chanted in Al Nuseirat, referring to Osama Hamdan, a top Hamas political leader. “We don’t want to die.”
“I would say probably close to one-third in Gaza” support Hamas, said Khalil Shikaki, the director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, in the West Bank.
In its last published survey conducted in September 2024, 39% of Palestinians in Gaza thought that the October 7 Hamas attacks were the correct decision, down from 57% in December 2023.
On Wednesday this week, influential families and clans in southern Gaza called for a “Friday of rage” against Hamas.
[Image: by Triggermouse from Pixabay]