One week after the halt in hostage releases shattered the short-lived ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—exposing a deepening rift between Brussels and Washington in their responses to the Middle East conflict—a large group of Palestinians in Gaza risked their lives to protest against the terror group.
Demonstrators chanted “Hamas out” and “Hamas terrorists” on Tuesday in what is being reported as the largest anti-Hamas demonstration since October 7th, 2023. Banners also called for the war with Israel to stop, in contradiction to Hamas’ desire for October 7th-style attacks to happen over and over again.
Hamas’ treatment of peaceful protesters—in some cases involving torture—has previously been described by Amnesty International as “violent” and “brutal.” But that hasn’t stopped people living in Gaza calling for more protests on Wednesday.
Almost all those captured in the footage from protests on Tuesday took to the streets without masks, which is a strong show of bravery in itself.
Hundreds of Palestinians in northern Gaza, one of the most devastated areas due to conflict, have publicly protested Hamas, demanding an end to war. This is a rare show of opposition to the militant group https://t.co/o9GXhw1BKG pic.twitter.com/WGQ0C5RLSg
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 26, 2025
One demonstrator, who preferred to remain anonymous, told AFP that he had seen “members of the Hamas security forces in civilian clothing breaking up the protest.”
Some reports claimed there were “hundreds” of protesters, while a CNN journalist on the ground estimated the actual figure to be in the “thousands.”
Responding to the news, Hillel Neuer from the human rights group UN Watch jibed that such protests are “rare,” but not as rare as “a protest against Hamas in a Western city.”
Rare protests against Hamas happening now in Gaza.
More rare: a protest against Hamas in a Western city.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 26, 2025
While Israel regularly calls on Palestinians to rise up against Hamas, polling late last year suggested that 35% of those living in Gaza claim to support the terror group. Hamas has also succeeded in drawing large crowds of supporters to its parading of dead hostages, including of young children killed on October 7th.
