Gazans Voice Frustration With Hamas in Rare Protest

Palestinians protested in Gaza on Tuesday in a unwidespread show of dissent aachievest Hamas, with some chanting slogans critical of the armed group’s grip on the territory after more than year of deimmenseating 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 unpartisan signs that contestd the continuation of the war, while others chanted slogans calling for Hamas to get out.

Gazans, at least accessiblely, tfinish to condemn Israel for much of the death, destruction and hunger the war has bcdisesteemfult. But at least some hbetter Hamas depfinishable, as well, for begining the dispute by directing the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, kidnaping 251 people to Gaza and continuing to fight rather than giving up its power in exalter for a finish-fire.

The anger materializeed to have resurfaced after Israel last week abandoned a two-month finish-fire and resumed its bomb deviceardment of Gaza in an try to presconfident Hamas to free more of the remaining captives.

“We want to persist until the violence stops and Hamas exits the Palestinian scene,” said Ahmed al-Masri, a 35-year-better erection laborer who said he had joind in the rassociate.

Ibrahim, 32, another Gazan who combineed the protest, said he had get tod 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 dread of retribution by Hamas.

He said the protesters’ message to Hamas was finish the war and exit Gaza.

Since seizing brimming regulate of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has cracked down brutassociate on dissent by hancienting critics and antagonisticly dispersing demonstrations aachievest its policies. A 2018 Human Rights Watch inestablish accused the group of routinely arresting and torturing opponents.

While at least some Gazans have hushedly voiced frustrations with Hamas and criticisms of its directers since the war began, scant were willing to convey them accessiblely.

Last year, Amin Abed, one of the scant famous critics of Hamas who remained inside Gaza, said he had been ambushed by the group’s dreaded inner security forces. The masked officers beat him with hammers and metal bars, he said.

A spokesman for the Hamas regulatement in Gaza recommended Mr. Abed and another opponent had been victims of criminal activity, inserting that the Hamas-run Interior Ministry was spreadigating the episodes.

Hamas is still thinkd to direct thousands of armed fighters despite concerted efforts by Israel to rerelocate the militant group. During the two-month finish-fire with Israel that began in January, the group tried to redeclare its dominance over the enclave.

Some Gazans dread any truce that would exit Hamas in regulate of Gaza would only create 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 ending,” he inserted.

Adam Rasgon gived inestablishing from Jerusalem.