Hundreds of Palestinians protested in the north of Gaza to demand an end to the war and to sing “Hamas Out”, like social media posts in a rare public show of the opposition to the militant group, which triggered the last war on October 7, 2023 to Israel.
Nordgaza has been one of the most destroyed areas of the enclave since the beginning of the conflict. Most of the buildings in the densely populated area were reduced to debris and a large part of the population has moved several times.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly said that the protest showed that the decision of Israel to renew his offensive worked in Gaza, where the police of Hamas – the group’s executors – had disappeared again after appearing during a ceasefire.
“Out of, out, out, Hamas,” sang those who were seen in one of the contributions published on X, apparently on Tuesday from the Gaza region of Beit Lahiya. It showed people who march down a dusty road between war -damaged buildings.
“It was a spontaneous rally against war because people are tired and have no place to look,” said a witness, who spoke on the condition that his name was not used for fear of retribution.
“Many sang slogans against Hamas, not all people, but many and said” Hamas “. People are exhausted and nobody should blame them,” he said.
The posts began widespread on Tuesday. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the video through buildings, supply sticks and street layout, which correspond to the satellite images of the area. Reuters was unable to independently check the date of the video. However, several videos and photos that were shared on social media showed protests in the area on Tuesday.
In other articles, one of the banners who were kept by the crowd read “enough wars” while people sang: “We don’t want war.”
“Suspect political agenda,” says Hamas
The official official Basem of Hamas said that people had the right to protest against the suffering caused by the war, but he condemned what he said that “suspicious political agendas” were the situation.
“Where do you come from, what happens in West Bank?” he said. “Why don’t you protest against aggression there or allow people to put this aggression onto the street?”
The comments that reflect the tensions under Palestinian factions about the future of the Gaza Strip came several hours after the rival Fatah movement asked Hamas to “react to the reputation of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip”. Fatah heads the Palestinian authority in the occupied West Bank.
More than 50,000 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli campaign in Gaza, which had attacked the municipalities in South Israel on October 7, 2023, who were killed 1,200 people and deleted 251 as hostages.
A large part of the narrow coastal enclave was reduced to ruins, so that hundreds of thousands of people in tents or bombardized buildings protect.
Netanyahu says that Israeli politics works
Hundreds of thousands of inhabitants who used to fled to the south of Gaza in the war returned to their destroyed houses in the north after a armistice in January.
Now the Israeli evacuation commands, after the country restarted its offensive on March 18, destroyed the two -month ceasefire, in which Hamas entered more hostages in an exchange for Palestinian prisoners and prisoners.
“All Gaza are in ruins and now we ordered the crew to leave the north again where to go?” The witness said to the protests.
Netanyahu said the protests showed that the politics of Israel works.
“In the past few days we have seen something unprecedented – open protests in Gaza against Hamas rule. This shows that our politics works. We are determined to achieve all of our war goals,” said Netanyahu during a speech in parliament.
Israeli air strikes in the Gaza damaged the Nasser Hospital and killed at least 65 people in 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health led by Hamas. The continued attacks have caused some aid organizations to reduce their footprint in the region.
Since Israel resumed his strikes against Gaza and said his goal was to completely reduce Hamas, according to Palestinian health officers, almost 700 people, mainly women and children, were killed.
The Hamas used thousands of police and security forces all over Gaza after the armistice came into force in January, but its armed presence has withdrawn sharply since March 18, when the most important attacks of Israel were resumed. Fewer police were present in some areas, while members and leaders of the armed wing went off the radar to avoid Israeli air strikes.
While official contacts aim to bring the armistice process back into the right course, there was little sign of a breakthrough on central topics, including the future governance of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 in elections that swept out the Fatah group of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Since then it has ruled the enclave and offered little space for opposition. For fear of retaliation, some Palestinians are careful to speak publicly against the group.
The two movements have been in contradiction for years and have not managed to bridge the differences about the post -war future of the Gaza strip, which the Palestinian authority says that it has to be under its authority.
Hamas expressed the willingness to withdraw from an active part of the government and must be involved in the selection of the next administration.
