Hundreds of Residents Take to the Streets of Gaza in Rare Protest of Hamas Rule
Palestinian protesters are demanding ‘peace and security and to not be governed at gunpoint.’
Hundreds of Gazans have taken to the streets in rare protests against Hamas that are expected to continue on Wednesday, according to reports in Israeli press outlets and on social media Tuesday.
Gazan citizens marched to the Indonesian Hospital in the northern town of Beit Lahiya and called for the end of Hamas rule, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Some protesters reportedly carried white flags and called for the freeing of hostages and an end to the war Hamas started on October 7, 2023. Gunmen came out of the hospital to disperse the demonstrators but were met with a barrage of rocks, i24News reported.
One protester told Ynetnews that the protesters were peaceful but they “demand peace and security and to not be governed at gunpoint.”
The demonstrators also had signs with phrases such as “Stop the war” and “Children in Palestine want to live,” the Times of Israel reports.
Some of the residents were captured on video chanting “Yes to peace, no to war” and “Hamas out.” Social media posts called for more such anti-Hamas demonstrations across Gaza on Wednesday.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that went into effect ended early in March and the IDF has renewed its attacks on the battered enclave. The Israeli military has expanded evacuation orders for civilians across the Gaza Strip. Hamas still holds 59 of the 251 hostages swept up during its attack on Israel.
