Anti-Hamas protesters march in Gaza, in rare and risky show of dissent
The demonstrations were a rare and risky public display of dissent against Hamas
A child carries a sign reading in Arabic: “The children of Palestine: We want to live”, during a rally calling for an end to the war, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on March 25, 2025. Hundreds of Palestinians chanted anti-Hamas slogans at a protest in northern Gaza on March 25, calling for an end to the war with Israel, witnesses said. (AFP via Getty Images)
(JTA) — Hundreds of men shouting criticism of Hamas marched in Gaza on Tuesday, according to footage shared from the territory the terror group has long governed.
Protests took place Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the enclave, including in Khan Younis and neighborhoods of Gaza City.
The demonstrations were a rare and risky public display of dissent against Hamas, which began controlling the territory in 2006 and ousted its rivals in a brief civil war the following year. It is known to imprison and execute its critics.
Some of the demonstrators carried signs calling for an end to the war, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Some chanted anti-Hamas slogans, including saying that it is a terror group, according to footage from the scene and news reports about the protests. Some of the men carried their children.
The protests are taking place at the same time as frequent mass anti-government protests in Israel. Those protests are calling for the war to end and the hostages held by Hamas to be freed. They are also protesting the government’s efforts to fire senior officials.
