Protesters in Gaza Call on Hamas to Step Aside

In a rare and perilous public show of anger against Hamas, hundreds of Palestinians marched through Beit Lahia in northern Gaza this week, demanding that the militant group relinquish control of the territory and end the war with Israel, according to four witnesses.The march on Wednesday appeared to be the latest of a handful of such protests that have broken out in the last two weeks, despite Hamas’s efforts to suppress dissent with threats and shows of force.Witnesses said it was the first of the protests in Beit Lahia that women joined, some bringing their children.Taken together, the demonstrations, while small and scattered, represent the most serious challenge to Hamas’s iron-fisted 18-year rule of the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.

The overwhelming Israeli response that followed has ripped apart the territory and residents’ lives, killing tens of thousands.The bloodshed resumed after Israel ended a two-month-old cease-fire agreement in mid-March, citing Hamas’s refusal to accept Israeli demands.Palestinians began marching about a week later in Beit Lahia, a farming community in the northernmost part of Gaza, and then in other parts of the enclave.

The protests lasted for three days before appearing to fade.Activists posted on social media this week calling for new rallies.Demonstrators assembled in Beit Lahia’s main square and marched toward another square, protesters said in interviews.

They gave varying estimates of the rally’s size, from about 1,000 to 1,500.“We have lost our homes, our loved ones, our hope and our future.Enough is enough,” said Abeer al-Radeea, 34, a homemaker who said she went to Wednesday’s demonstration with her husband and children.

“We call on Hamas to stop this and leave us.We don’t know when this will end, but we want peace and democracy.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your p...