When an Israeli aerial attack torn a building in the center of Beit Lahia on Monday evening, the agricultural community in the northernmost part of Gaza was already at the limit of an Israeli evacuation order hours earlier.
The events shook the residents of the city and reminded them of the dangers of the war between Israel and Hamas, but also contributed to catalyzing rare events against Hamas in Gaza. For three consecutive days, hundreds of people marched through the city to ask for the end of both the war and the 18-year-old rule of Hamas on the public Gaza-Proteste that spread in a certain number of other cities of the abused encycling.
“Hamas has to go away,” Ahmad Al-Masri said 26, residing in Beit Lahia who helped ask for the events. “Otherwise, the spreading of blood, wars and destruction will not stop.”
While most of the events have been small, they represent the most daring challenge for the authority of Hamas by the Palestinians in Gaza from the attack led by Hamas to Israel of October 2023 and the next war, which reduced the cities to the rubble.
They also embody the frustration of the Palestinians who live again through mortal and upsetting bombing after Israel and Hamas have not reached an agreement to extend the ceased the fire. They clarify that at least some Palestinians have put aside their fears for the potential punishment by Hamas, who ruled Gaza with a heavy hand.
“We have nothing to lose,” said Al-Masri. “We have already lost our lives, houses and money.”
Before the 2023 attack, Hamas brought brutally on the Palestinians who protested against the miserable living conditions in Gaza and led reconnaissance on protest organizers. But during the latest protests, Hamas’s internal security forces have widely abstained to repress. This, analysts said, was probably a reflection of Hamas’ delicate position with Gazas and of its reduced ability to mobilize the forces under the threat of Israeli air attacks.
“How can this movement face? This? This would cause even greater anger,” observed Akram Atallah, a Palestinian analyst from the northern city of Gaza di Jabaliya. Fearing that Israel can try to kill security agents, Hamas may not be able to distribute them, he added.
But Thursday, the agents of Hamas who brandish manganelli excluded the media coverage of the event to Beit Laia. The protest, which included hundreds of people, has still gone on.
Hamas still has a base of supporters in Gaza. Some of them remained silent while the protests took place this week, while others tried to question social media on the reasons behind the protests, claiming that they were serving foreign programs, without providing credible evidence.
The first protest took place in Beit Lahia around 16:00 on Tuesday. The night before, the members of the community sent a message asking residents to take to the street.
“The square is calling you,” said a screenshot of the message, shared with the New York Times. “Just wars. We want to live in peace.”
The message arrived shortly after Avichay Adraee, the spokesman for the Arabic language of the Israeli army, has published an order for people to evacuate from Beit Laia on his accounts on social media. Not long after, an air attack hammered in the city, the residents said.
To the question about the strike, the Israeli military declared that he operated against Hamas’s military skills, without dealing with the specific case. Israel accused Hamas of operating within the civil areas in the wake of the attack on October 7th.
In the interviews, the demonstrators claimed to hope that Hamas would give up on his control over Gaza and removed any reason why Israel continued to carry out attacks, forcing the end of the war.
“We cannot accept that all of us should die for them to stay in power,” said Sharif Al-Buheisi, 56, residing in Deir Al-Balah in the Central Gaza who participated in a protest on Wednesday. Al-Buheisi is an activist from Fatah, Hamas’ rival, and has worked as administrator of the University of Al-Azhar in Gaza City before the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that Israel could not end the war until the military wing of Hamas and the government were dismantled, while Hamas expressed his will to give up the control of the civil government, not of his weapons.
For Mr. Al-Buheisi, an important element of the protests was to reject the idea-a one detained by some Israelis-all of Gaza supported Hamas and terrorism.
“We are saying that we are people who love life and our children,” he said.
The protests included the participation of some Mukhtar, local leaders in the cities and villages that dominate with most of their communities, said the demonstrators. Before the first march to Beit Lahia, a number of young people approached Mukhtars to guarantee support for the initiative, according to Mr. Al-Masri and Hassan Saad, another resident of the city. They offered their blessings, they said.
“We are saying that we want to live in dignity,” said Hisham al-Birawi, 64, a mukhtar to Beit Laia. “We want to live like anyone else.”
Nader Ibrahim Contributed relationships.