Frustrated, Gazans Angry at Hamas, Demand War Stop

CAIRO, THURSDAY - Weary, frustrated, and exhausted from the ongoing effects of war, thousands of Palestinian residents took to the main streets of Gaza, which are filled with rubble. They protested, demanding an immediate end to the Hamas-Israel war. They even urged Hamas to leave the Gaza Strip.

A 19-year-old Palestinian resident stated that his family has suffered because of the war. His mother is battling cancer, and his 10-year-old brother is being treated in the hospital for cerebral palsy. The entire family has been displaced several times since their home was destroyed.

"People are angry at the entire world, including the United States, Israel, and Hamas," he said as quoted by the Associated Press News Agency, Thursday (27/3/2025). "We want Hamas to resolve this situation, return the hostages, and put an end to all of this."

The protest erupted a week after Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas. This move was followed by a wave of new attacks that killed hundreds of people. The renewed conflict also caused the flow of food supplies, fuel, and medicine to be disrupted once again.

The initial protest took place in the city of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday (25/3/2025), exactly one week after Israel conducted airstrikes following the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire. Initially, the protest in Gaza was organized as an anti-war demonstration attended by a few dozen people. However, the number of participants swelled to more than 3,000.

"We want to live!" shouted a Gaza resident participating in the second day of protests in the city of Beit Lahiya, as quoted by *The New York Times*, Wednesday (26/3/2025).

The New York Times reported that a group of Gazans marched through the streets of Beit Lahiya and the devastated Gaza City. Demonstrators carried banners that read, “Hamas does not represent us,” as well as banners opposing the continuation of the war. Others chanted slogans calling for Hamas to leave.

Protests continued on Wednesday and spread to Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. This time, the second day of protests was more organized, marked by calls spread through social media networks. The calls contained calls to oppose Hamas' rule and its actions in the war against Israel.

Many Gazans welcomed the call. And in the demonstration they shouted slogans containing protests against Hamas and opposing the group. They also criticized Hamas because the group always suppresses dissent in Gaza with violence.

In Beit Lahiya, protesters boldly shouted slogans such as, “Hamas out!” They also shouted, “We want to live in freedom.”

"Our demands are clear, which is to end the war by any means," said Said Lulu (38), a resident of Gaza City. "We have absolutely nothing to lose because we have lost everything, so we are not afraid," Said added.

“We don’t want Hamas! We are tired,” said Muayed Zahir, a protester in Gaza City. “After more than 17 months of devastating war, no education, no food, no clothes. All this is because of Hamas,” Zahir added.

“Our children have been killed. Our homes have been destroyed,” said Abed Radwan, who said he joined the protest in Beit Lahiya to protest against the war, against Hamas and the (Palestinian political) factions, against Israel and against the silence of the world.

Hamas is also targeted because residents say it is the only party they can influence. “Protests will not stop the (Israeli) occupation, but they can influence Hamas,” Ammar Hassan, a protester, said by telephone.

Another protester in Jabaliya said he chose to join the demonstration because all parties, including the Palestinian Authority, the West and mediators, had failed the people of Gaza.

The protests erupted exactly a week after Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, launching a wave of surprise attacks that killed hundreds of people.

Prior to the attack, Israel earlier this month stopped delivering food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, worsening conditions for the estimated 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.

The absence of an agreement for a second phase of the ceasefire has led Israel to vow to increase the intensity of attacks. The goal is to pressure and force Hamas to return the 59 hostages still being held. Israel believes 24 of them are still alive. Israel is also demanding that the group hand over power, disarm, and send its leaders into exile.

Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

As a result of Israel's renewed intensive attacks, the United Nations (UN) noted that within a week of Israel's renewed attacks, 142,000 Gazans were displaced again. In fact, during the 17 months of war, 90 percent of Gazans had been displaced and homeless.

The UN also warned of a lack of humanitarian aid. “In just one week, 142,000 people have been displaced,” said UN Secretary-General Spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

“The space available for families is shrinking. With each wave of displacement, thousands of people lose not only their homes, but also their access to basic necessities such as food, clean water and health care,” Dujarric said.

With the suffering that befalls the Palestinian people in Gaza, Munther al-Hayek, spokesman for the Gaza-based Palestinian Fatah faction, called on Hamas to listen to the voice of the people and withdraw from governing Gaza.

In an interview with Palestine Radio on Wednesday, al-Hayek said Hamas should hand over power to the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA), which currently rules parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Al-Hayek said, “Hamas’ presence has become dangerous for the Palestinian cause.” He added that the movement must listen to the voices emerging in Gaza and save the devastated population.

Al-Hayek's call echoed one he made on Saturday (3/22/2025). Last weekend, al-Hayek called on Hamas to step aside from governing the region to safeguard the existence of Palestinians there.

Hours later, senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Palestinians had the right to protest the suffering caused by the war, but he denounced the demonstrations as having a suspicious political agenda exploiting the situation.

"Where are they coming from, what is happening in the West Bank? Why are they not protesting the aggression there or letting people take to the streets to denounce this aggression?"

Naim's statement reflects the ongoing tensions between Fatah and Hamas, two Palestinian factions, over Gaza. Hamas began controlling Gaza in 2007. Hamas won a landslide victory in the last Palestinian general election, held in 2006.

Hamas' victory sparked months of factional unrest. Hamas seized power in Gaza from the Fatah-dominated, Western-backed Palestinian Authority the following year.

Although in the demonstrations, residents opposed and asked Hamas to leave, a poll in September last year by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research said otherwise. As many as 35 percent of Gazans support Hamas. Meanwhile, Gazan support for Fatah, Hamas' main political rival, is estimated at 26 percent.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also took note of the protests in Gaza. “In the last few days, we have witnessed a new change, something we have never seen before,” he said Wednesday in remarks to the Israeli Parliament.

"We saw a big and open protest in the Gaza Strip against Hamas rule," he said. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)