_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
For the second day in a row, hundreds of Palestinians in northern Gaza are taking to the streets to protest Hamas, chanting slogans like “Out, out — Hamas should get out!” The protests signal a significant shift in public sentiment in Gaza, where Hamas has ruled since 2007. Local residents are reportedly upset over new evacuation orders and the terror group’s refusal to lay down its arms, though much of their anger is directed at Hamas-friendly media who refused to cover the demonstrations.
These protests mark the largest public opposition to Hamas in Gaza since the group launched its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
_THE FACTS_
Video footage shows large protests in northern Gaza, with crowds chanting: “Hamas is a terrorist.”
"Gazans are expressing anger at Al Jazeera and global media generally for covering only Hamas, ignoring the voices of Gazan civilians,” said Joseph Braude, president of the Center for Peace Communications.
One Palestinian man claimed that Al Jazeera reporter — and reportedly a Hamas member — Anas Al-Sharif entered a nearby Indonesian hospital, refusing to cover the protests.
Some demonstrators shouted, “Down with Hamas rule, down with the Muslim Brotherhood rule.”
Another Palestinian said, “We refuse to die for anyone, for any party’s agenda or the interests of foreign states… Hamas must step down.”
Armed and masked Hamas militants, carrying rifles and batons, intervened to break up the protests and assaulted several participants.
Hamas responded to the demonstrations by accusing protesters of pushing “suspicious political agendas” and attempting to shift blame from Israel.
The protests came one day after Islamic Jihad fired rockets at Israel, prompting Israeli-issued evacuations of Beit Lahia, a city in Gaza’s north, and a resumption of airstrikes.
_INSIGHTS_
Following recent weeks of devastation at the hands of Israel’s military, many of Hamas’ top leaders have been rapidly taken out. The scale of destruction and loss in Gaza, combined with its refusal to comply with hostage releases has seemingly diminished the deterrent effect of Hamas’ repression of its own constituents.
It is unlikely that the majority of Gaza’s citizenry is suddenly pro-ceasefire, or even anti-Hamas (polling is unreliable and scarce). The protests are also very unlikely to persuade Hamas to change course, unless they ignite like previous Arab protests did in 2010. For now, however, the relatively small number of Palestinians taking to the streets has helped them capture the global attention they seek, sending a message to Hamas that not all Palestinians are behind them.
