<big><big>NYT - paywall removed March 27 ...For three consecutive days, hundreds of people have marched through [central Beit Lahia] to demand the end both of the war and of Hamas’s 18-year-old rule over Gaza</big>
[The photo about 25% of the scrollway down is astounding.]
— public protests that have spread to a number of other towns in the battered enclave.
“Hamas needs to go away,” said Ahmad al-Masri, 26, a resident of Beit Lahia who helped call for the demonstrations. “If it doesn’t, the bloodshed, the wars and the destruction won’t stop.”
...[Israeli airstrikes and evacuation orders] shook the town’s residents and reminded them of the perils of the war between Israel and Hamas, but they also helped catalyze rare demonstrations against Hamas…
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<big><big>
FDD - 27 Mar 2025 The Tent Intifada</big></big> by Ahmad Shawari,
research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), focusing on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region.
...After the war resumed on March 18, Gazans began
voicing their frustration with Hamas on social media, rallying around the hashtag “Hamas, stop the war.” What started as online dissent quickly turned into public gatherings, with citizens holding signs that
read “Our kids’ blood is not cheap.” ...[and] chanting, “The people want to topple Hamas.”
Notably, the protests have not endorsed any political leader or party. Their focus remains singular — ending the war, which they blame on Hamas. Despite calls from officials of Fatah — Hamas’s political rivals — urging the Iran-backed group to “listen to the voice of the people” and step aside, anti-Hamas Palestinian factions played no role in sparking demonstrations.
The protests have been fierce in northern Gaza, where devastation is absolute and families live in tents…. many are now calling the uprising the “Tent Intifada.” Protests also took place in areas such as Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City….
...marched through the rubble of their town, chanting “Hamas, get out” and “Hamas are terrorists.” The Beit Lahia protest came just hours after Israeli evacuation orders for the town’s residents. Demonstrators held Hamas responsible for the orders, blaming the group for launching rockets from areas near the town toward Israeli communities….
Hamas’s Media Office in Gaza dismissed the protests, claiming, “Any slogans or spontaneous positions expressed by some protesters against the resistance approach do not reflect the general national stance. Rather, they are a result of the unprecedented pressure faced by our people and the occupation’s continuous attempts to incite internal strife.” The terrorist group has since called for a global mobilization on March 28-30 to support “Gaza, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa” while condemning “Zionist crimes.”
...[Qatari-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera, which has routinely amplified Hamas’s narrative, including with exclusive videos of its military spokesperson Abu Obeida] has been notably silent on the Gaza protests [despite] its usual saturation coverage of events in Gaza, … prompting protesters to chant, “where are the journalists?” On its website, the network has [focused its Gaza coverage solely] on Israeli airstrikes and Hamas’s calls for global demonstrations.
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from AssocPress <big><big>Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza</big></big> by Samy Magdy, Fatma Khaled & Sarah El Deeb, | Updated 11:00 AM PDT, March 26, 2025
CAIRO (AP) — Thousands of Palestinians marched between the wreckage of a heavily destroyed town in northern Gaza on Wednesday in the second day of anti-war protests, with many chanting against Hamas in a rare display of public anger against the militant group.
The protests, which centered mainly on Gaza’s north, appeared to be aimed generally against the war, with protesters calling for an end to 17 months of deadly fighting with Israel that has made life in Gaza insufferable.
But protesters also leveled unusually direct and public criticism of Hamas, which has quashed dissent violently in the past in Gaza, a territory it still rules months into the war with Israel.
In the town of Beit Lahiya, where a similar protest took place Tuesday, about 3,000 people demonstrated, with many chanting “the people want the fall of Hamas.” In the hard-hit Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, dozens of men chanted “Out, out out! Hamas get out!”….
More at the top link — no paywall
Top image caption at the article: 1 of 12: Palestinians chanted against Hamas during an anti-war protest in norther Gaza om Wednesday, videos showed. Wednesday’s protest comes after similar ones the day before, marking a rare show of public anger against the militant group that has long repressed dissent and still rules the territory…
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NBC 6 Florida <big><big>Gaza resident explains why he joined massive protests there against Hamas</big></big> Videos are all over social media, showing ordinary civilians marching and chanting that they want peace Published 59 mins ago • Updated 58 mins ago
For the second consecutive day, there have been mass, anti-Hamas demonstrations in Gaza. The videos are all over social media, showing ordinary civilians marching and chanting that they want peace, that Hamas is a terrorist group, and that Hamas should surrender.
Saeed is one of those protesters in Gaza.
“He’s absolutely afraid, all the people are afraid of speaking out against Hamas, but as you see today, things are better than before because people are daring to speak up and a lot of people are speaking up,” said translator Hadeel Oueis from the Center for Peace Communications [via Zoom] translating his remarks and my questions.
I asked him if the demonstrators were demanding that Hamas release the hostages, because that would end the war quickly.
“They are calling not only for the release of the hostages, but also for Hamas to get out of Gaza as a military group because this the Israelis’ demand that would stop the war, and they are for everything that would stop the war,” Saeed said through Oueis….
...In another video clip, there are thousands of Gazans marching down a street….
...Saeed told us the people of Gaza feel empowered now, and there’s hope that with enough internal pressure from the demonstrations, Hamas can be toppled.
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from CNN <big><big>Palestinians take part in largest anti-Hamas protests in Gaza since start of war </big></big>by Abeer Salman and Caitlin Danaher, CNN | Updated 7:15 AM EDT, Wed March 26, 2025
... Video obtained by CNN showed large crowds, estimated to be thousands of people by a CNN journalist on the ground, marching through the streets of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, chanting “For god’s sake, Hamas out,” “Hamas terrorists” and “We want an end to the war.”
A message shared on social media appeared to call for nine anti-Hamas demonstrations across Gaza on Wednesday, with the protest organizers saying, “our voices must reach all the spies who sold our blood.”
“Let them hear your voice, let them know that Gaza is not silent, and that there is a people who will not accept to be eradicated,” the message continued.
CNN has not been able to verify the original source of the message.
The protests come after the death toll in Gaza surpassed 50,000 on Sunday, according to the health ministry in the enclave, with no end in sight….
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more from CNN <big><big>‘Enough war’: Why Gazans are protesting Hamas now</big></big> By Ibrahim Dahman and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN | Updated 4:31 PM EDT, Wed March 26, 2025
…. [A] protester in Beit Lahia, lawyer Mohammed Attalah, said, “Our message to the free world is that we are living in oppressive conditions and forced displacement.”
“Our demand is that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. This chaos that they have created is enough.” …
…. “The people’s voices must come before the sound of gunpowder,” Abu Hamouda said, adding that Palestinians should have one unified government that can receive international and regional support.
“People have long wanted to protest,” he said. Many were reluctant, however, fearing “lack of protection” on the streets and “accusations of treason” by other Palestinians, he added.
Abu Hamouda also worried that the Israeli government might take advantage of the protests, which would undermine their movement….
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Abu Hamouda was right to worry:
Reuters <big><big>Hundreds stage Gaza protest against Hamas after conflict resumes</big></big> by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta March 26, 202512:05 PM PDTUpdated 5 hours ago
...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to say the protest showed Israel's decision to renew its offensive was working in Gaza, where Hamas police - the group's enforcers - have once again disappeared after emerging during ... ceasefire….
...Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said people had the right to protest at the suffering inflicted by the war but he denounced what he said were "suspicious political agendas" exploiting the situation. "Where are they from, what is happening in the West Bank? … Why don't they protest against the aggression there or allow people to take to the streets to denounce this aggression?"
The comments, reflecting tensions among Palestinian factions over the future of Gaza, came several hours after the rival Fatah movement called on Hamas to "respond to the call of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip". Fatah leads the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank.
Hamas [RE]deployed thousands of police and security forces across Gaza after the ceasefire took effect in January, but [since Israel's major attacks resumed, fewer are] present in some areas, while members and leaders of the armed wing went off the radar to avoid Israeli airstrikes.
Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah said Hamas, which kept a lid on public opposition before the war, would have few options [if demonstrations gain] momentum. "The people are exhausted and paid with their lives and property, and the group is facing a devastating Israeli military offensive that makes it weaker to crack down on the protesters even if it wanted to..."
Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 in elections that swept out the Fatah group of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It has ruled the enclave since then, offering little space for opposition. The two movements have been at odds for years and have failed to bridge differences over the postwar future of Gaza, which the PA says must come under its authority. Hamas, while expressing readiness to step back from an active part in government, says it must be involved in selecting whatever administration comes next….
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New York Times NO PAYWALL <big><big>Gazans Protest Against Hamas and War for a Second Day</big></big>Abu Bakr Bashir reported from London, Iyad Abuheweila from Istanbul, Hiba Yazbek from Jerusalem and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad from Haifa, Israel. March 26, 2025 Updated 6:20 p.m. ET
Palestinians in Gaza protested against the war for
a second straight day on Wednesday and chanted slogans against Hamas, frustrated and angry over the collapse of a cease-fire with Israel that many had hoped would become permanent.
The protests were rare shows of dissent against Hamas, the armed group that has ruled Gaza for 17 years with an iron fist and which started a 15-month war by leading the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Wednesday’s protests appeared to spread to more parts of Gaza than on Tuesday, according to video on social media and witnesses….
...some chanting “Hamas out! Hamas is terrorism!” and “We want to live freely.”...Some carried signs that opposed the continuation of the war, while others chanted slogans calling for Hamas to get out….
...Some Gazans say the protests began as a spontaneous outpouring of emotion, but there were indications on Wednesday that they were becoming more organized. Over the past two days, there has been a notable increase in calls on social media from Palestinians inside Gaza to come out into the streets and demonstrate against Hamas’s rule and its conduct of the war with Israel….
In this NYT aritcle, one demonstrator who allowed being quoted by name, said he reached out to other anti-Hamas Gazans he knew, to call for more social-media protest, and received strong agreement.
“Many of the individuals who are members of big families are joining the protests,” he added. “If Hamas decides to use force against protesters, I am afraid protesters would use force back...”
“Our demands are clear: End the war at any cost,” he said. “‘We want to live’ is our slogan,” he added. “This time is different, I believe. We have absolutely nothing to lose. We have lost everything already, so we are not afraid.”
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JTA.org <big><big>Anti-Hamas protesters march in Gaza, in rare and risky show of dissent</big></big>
...The demonstrations were a rare and risky public display of dissent against Hamas, which began controlling the territory in 2006 and ousted its rivals in a brief civil war the following year. It is known to imprison and execute its critics.
Some of the demonstrators carried signs calling for an end to the war, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Some chanted anti-Hamas slogans, including saying that it is a terror group, according to footage from the scene and news reports about the protests. Some of the men carried their children….
The protests are taking place at the same time as [increase of] frequent mass anti-government protests in Israel ... calling for the war to end and the hostages ...to be freed [as well as other-standing criticisms of the government]….
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from BBC <big><big>Hundreds join Gaza's largest anti-Hamas protest since war began</big> 7 hours ago</big> Rushdi Aboualouf, Gaza correspondent and Alex Boyd, BBC News
Masked Hamas militants, some armed with guns and others carrying batons, intervened and forcibly dispersed the protesters, assaulting several of them.
...Pro-Hamas supporters downplayed the significance of the protests and accused the participants of being traitors.
The protests in northern Gaza came a day after Islamic Jihad gunmen launched rockets at Israel, prompting an Israeli decision to evacuate large parts of Beit Lahia, which sparked public anger in the area.
Israel has resumed its military campaign in Gaza following nearly two months of ceasefire, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the truce. Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of abandoning the original deal agreed in January….
...One of the protesters ... had his home destroyed in the war and lost his brother in an Israeli airstrike a year ago.
"We refuse to die for anyone, for any party's agenda or the interests of foreign states," he said.
"Hamas must step down and listen to the voice of the grieving, the voice that rises from beneath the rubble - it is the most truthful voice."
Footage from the town also showed protesters shouting "down with Hamas rule, down with the Muslim Brotherhood rule"….
...An estimated 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza, healthcare, water and sanitation systems have collapsed and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter….
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Also: March 26, 2025 https://www.haaretz.com... 'Stop Turning Gaza Into Rubble': Fed Up With War and Hamas Rule, Palestinians Ramp Up Their Protest” 'Hamas has nothing left to offer – nothing left to ensure even our basic survival,' one Gazan tells Haaretz, as Palestinians protest across the enclave, desperate for a deal that will stop Israel's bombings and end the war
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APRIL 7, 2025
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Related posts across the past year+: ■ "Whispered in Gaza" the Anti-Hamas & Anti-PA Palestinian Movements ■ Gaza’s Summer2023 Anti-Hamas near-revolution protests & backstory ■ Hamas was unpopular...... surveys showed Gazans cared more about fighting poverty than armed resistance (a TheConversation reprint). ■ Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim, Jewish & Xian Women speak & act for peace while men make war ■ Palestinian writes: "we must reject Hamas' suicidal adventures"-disaster always follows. ■ Exit Permits Now $4,500-$10,000+ [per person to leave Gaza and] enter Egypt; Entry to Gaza $5,000+ per aid truck ■
