In a rare and dangerous public show of rage against Hamas, hundreds of Palestinians marched through Beit Rahia in northern Gaza this week, demanding extremist groups abandon their control of the territory and end the war with Israel.
Wednesday’s march appeared to be the latest in such protests that have erupted in the past two weeks despite Hamas’ efforts to oppose the show of threat and power. Witnesses said the woman was joined in the first protest in Beit Rahia, with some bringing in children.
Collectively, the demonstrations are small and scattered, but represent the most serious challenge to control of the Gaza Strip in 18, when Hamas began when the war began when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. After Israel ended its two-month ceasefire agreement in mid-March, the bloodshed resumed, saying Hamas refused to accept Israel’s demands.
About a week later, the Palestinians began marching at the northernmost tip of Gaza and at Beit Lahia, the agricultural community in other parts of the enclave. The protest seemed to disappear after three days.
Activists posted on social media this week are calling for a new rally. Protesters said in an interview that protesters gathered in a major square in Beit Rahia to march towards another square. They have made various estimates of the size of the rally to be about 1,000-1,500.
“We have lost our home, our loved ones, our hopes, our future. Enough is enough,” said housewife Abia Al Radea, 34, who said she went to the demonstration Wednesday with her husband and children. “We call on Hamas to stop this and leave. We don’t know when this will end, but we want peace and democracy.”
The march has cracked down on challenges to its rules in the past despite Hamas’ widespread fear of Gaza. However, after the recent protests, Hamas’ reaction appeared to be more calm. What analysts said was the group’s fear of further inflammatory already angry populations, and thousands of members were killed, Israeli drones and combat were killed above their heads, causing their capabilities to diminish.
However, the threat of retaliation by Hamas remains.
On Friday, Odey Al Rabi, 22, one of the protesters, was accused of Hamas operatives of a night from a shelter for displaced people in Gaza city, according to his brother Hassan.
Hassan, 32, said he received a call from Al-Kuds Hospital in Gaza City several hours later to greet his siblings. He said O’Day was hurt, bloody and barely able to walk or talk.
“My brother’s body was blood,” he said, adding that Hamas operatives had dragged him down the string. “It was as if he didn’t know him.”
The operative said anyone who “curses” Hamas military wings would meet the same fate, Hassan said. He took his brother to another nearby hospital, but O’Day passed away a few hours later.
Hassan said he believes his brother has been targeted because of his participation in the protest and history of criticizing Hamas. About a month ago, O’Day was attacked by a group of Hamas members, but when he pulled the knife they ran away, Hassan said.
Hamas officials and a spokesman for the Hamaslan government in Gaza did not respond to requests for comment.
Wednesday’s protesters included 44-year-old Raed Al-Masri. He said masked Hamas members were stationed in several corners and had truncheons and sticks.
Two days after the previous protest, internal security forces run by Hamas in Gaza summoned 56-year-old Sharif al-Buheisi to a tent in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martas Hospital in central Gaza. Al-Buheisi is an activist for Fatah, a rival political father in Hamas, and was an administrator at Al-Azhar University in Gaza before the war.
Two officers pose a threat, suggesting he would regret taking part in the future protests, Al Buheisi said in a telephone interview.
“This is not a time for protests. They are stabbing the resistance behind them,” recalled Al Buheisi. “If you go out again, the results aren’t good.”
After consulting with his family, Al-Buheisi said he had decided to leave further protests. He said it was a fierce reminder of how Gaza civilians were trapped.
“We are being persecuted by both sides,” he said. “Israel bombs us without mercy, and Hamas doesn’t care if we die or not.”
Al Masri said some of his cousins were threatened by Hamas after the recent march. One received a call Tuesday calling him to meet Hamas security officials.
Others ignored such calls.
In Wednesday’s protest, many protesters were driven to march by hunger, attendees said. Israel has stopped aid from entering Gaza for a month, forced to close bakeries, empty markets and assisted groups to cut food distribution. Gaza residents say that anything that has leftover produce is expensive.
One child cried out at Wednesday’s demonstration that he wanted to eat something, Al Radea said. Another protester hugged a portion of the onion and cried out that he had only eaten onions and radish for over a week, Basmem Hamoudha, 47, a farmer there said.
Because of their despair, protesters denounced Israel, but Hamas also denounced it.
“People who cannot provide bread to people have no right to start a war in the name of liberation,” Hamouda said.
He and others said Hamas should do a better job of keeping food prices down by stopping merchants from stocking up on supplies.
“Hamas gave Israel an excuse to continue this war, failing to regulate and control market prices,” he added. “That’s the real cause behind these protests.”
Ameera Harouda contributed to a report from Doha, Qatar.
