In a rare event in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, hundreds of Gazan citizens marched in the northern town of Beit Lahiya carrying white flags, calling to end the Hamas rule, and even calling to hand over the Israeli hostages.
The protests took place in front of the Indonesian Hospital in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. One protester who filmed the events questioned where Qatari Al Jazeera and its Gaza correspondent Anas al-Sharif are, implicitly referring to the channel’s no criticism of Hamas policy.
people are demanding the press to cover these events!” he said. “People are demanding freedom, they’re demanding a halt to the hostilities against Gaza, they’re demanding peace and an end to this war.” One of them said, “The press entered the hospital so as to not document this event.”
Slogans shouted in the protest included “Out out out! Hamas out!” and “Where is the press?” and “We want to live!” Signs held by protesters included slogans such as “We refuse to be the ones who die” and “Stop the war.”
Another video showed hundreds of marchers walking in the streets of Beit Lahiya, with the cameraman saying: “Large crowds are protesting now against the rule of Hamas. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The people here are calling to free the prisoners so we can remain alive,” possibly referring to the remaining Israeli hostages.
I hope Israel listens to them and return to ceasefire but they wont. “But did they condemn Hamas?” Yes these bare starved homeless civilians did already but the IOF wont stop killing because Israel never want to give Palestianians their human rights and lands. Israel wants to continue being the colonizing genocidal aparthied it is.
These poor Gazans upmost demand is to be another West Bank for Israel to occuoy, ethnic cleanse, and expand its settlements in. The West Bank did not take hostages and no there is no Hamas in charge. Yet they are getting killed and their lands stolen and treated like 3rd-class citizens in aparthied Israel everyday.