Rare Anti-Hamas Protests Erupt In Gaza As Residents Call For Peace

By Kassy Akiva

Gazans took to the streets Tuesday to call for an end to Hamas rule in a rare display of opposition to the terrorist group.

Protesters marched through Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza carrying white flags, demanding Hamas end its rule, and calling for the Israeli hostages to be released, The Jerusalem Post reported.

In a video posted by the Center for Peace Communications, protesters are heard chanting, “‘Hamas get out!’ Gaza’s people don’t want wars. They demand the end of Hamas’s rule. They demand peace.”

In Khan Younis, protesters were reported chanting, “Oh the shame, you sold Gaza with dollars,” and, “Hamas is a terrorist.”

In response, Hamas reportedly started to attack the protesters in the street.

Despite hundreds of protesters participating, outlets that often cover Hamas favorably, such as Al Jazeera, have yet to give the protests any significant coverage.

According to Palestinian peace activist Hamza Howidy, Al Jazeera’s Anas Al-Sharif avoided covering the protest and is instead working to twist the narrative of the protests.

“Al Jazeera’s journalist, who hid while the protestors were looking for anyone to cover the anti-war & anti-Hamas protests, is working to change the narrative and the demands of the protestors; we want to end the war and Hamas to step down from ruling Gaza,” Howidy tweeted.

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According to Palestinian Christian activist Khalil Sayegh, the leaders of Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood called on Hamas to end its control and are urging more protests to take place tomorrow at noon.

The assembly of the Southern Gaza clans also called for a “popular uprising” against Hamas, accusing them of selling and gambling with Palestinian blood for their own interests, according to Sayegh.

The protests marked the first time Gazans had taken to the streets to call for peace since January 2024, though those protests were smaller.

Over the past week, Israel eliminated more than a dozen Hamas leaders, many of whom were key to maintaining Hamas’ control over Gaza’s population, beyond just its militant operations.

In addition to air strikes, IDF troops have begun ground activities in central and southern Gaza to create a buffer zone between the north and south of the strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened last week to annex parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas continues to refuse to release the 59 hostages held by the terror group.

“I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers,” Katz said, according to The Jerusalem Post. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.”