Palestinians protested in Gaza on Tuesday in a rare show of dissent against Hamas, with some chanting slogans critical of the armed group’s grip on the territory after more than year of devastating war with Israel.
Videos verified by The New York Times showed groups of Gazans in the half-ruined streets in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Some carried more neutral signs that opposed the continuation of the war, while others chanted slogans calling for Hamas to get out.
Gazans, at least publicly, tend to blame Israel for much of the death, destruction and hunger the war has brought. But at least some hold Hamas responsible, as well, for starting the conflict by leading the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, abducting 251 people to Gaza and continuing to fight rather than giving up its power in exchange for a cease-fire.
The anger appeared to have resurfaced after Israel last week abandoned a two-month cease-fire and resumed its bombardment of Gaza in an attempt to pressure Hamas to free more of the remaining hostages.
“We want to continue until the bloodshed stops and Hamas leaves the Palestinian scene,” said Ahmed al-Masri, a 35-year-old construction worker who said he had participated in the rally.
Ibrahim, 32, another Gazan who joined the protest, said he had arrived in downtown Beit Lahiya to buy food before stumbling into the crowd of demonstrators. He asked to be identified by his first name only for fear of retribution by Hamas.
He said the protesters’ message to Hamas was end the war and leave Gaza.
Since seizing full control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has cracked down harshly on dissent by detaining critics and aggressively dispersing demonstrations against its policies. A 2018 Human Rights Watch report accused the group of routinely arresting and torturing opponents.
While at least some Gazans have quietly voiced frustrations with Hamas and criticisms of its leaders since the war began, few were willing to express them publicly.
Last year, Amin Abed, one of the few prominent critics of Hamas who remained inside Gaza, said he had been ambushed by the group’s feared internal security forces. The masked officers beat him with hammers and metal bars, he said.
A spokesman for the Hamas government in Gaza suggested Mr. Abed and another dissident had been victims of criminal activity, adding that the Hamas-run Interior Ministry was investigating the episodes.
Hamas is still believed to command thousands of armed fighters despite concerted efforts by Israel to eliminate the militant group. During the two-month cease-fire with Israel that began in January, the group tried to reassert its dominance over the enclave.
Some Gazans fear any truce that would leave Hamas in control of Gaza would only make another war inevitable.
“Without Hamas going away, the next war will only be a matter of time,” said Helal Warshagha, 27, an activist from Beit Lahiya who fled Gaza before Oct. 7, 2023.
“We’ve had enough of the war, destruction and killing,” he added.
Adam Rasgon contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
