Palestinians against Hamas

In late March, thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza took to the streets in the largest anti-Hamas protests since the war began in the wake of Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

For months, Gazans had remained silent, fearing retaliation from Hamas. However, they could no longer suffer in silence. These demonstrations reflect their deep frustration with Hamas, which failed to release hostages and forced Israel to resume its military campaign, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire. The protests are telling—videos showed Gazans marching among the city’s ruins, chanting, “For God’s sake, Hamas out,” “Hamas terrorists,” and “We want an end to the war.” In a direct, angry message to Hamas, some protest organizers declared, “Our voices must reach all the spies who sold our blood.” The protesters clearly hold Hamas responsible for the devastation in Gaza and the displacement of its residents.

In a predictable move, Hamas showed no leniency toward the protesters. Reports emerged of masked militants armed with guns and batons rounding up some demonstrators, with allegations of beatings, torture, and even executions. Hamas branded these protesters as “suspicious” traitors, suggesting some were paid to aid Israel by shifting blame from Jews to their fellow Muslims—an accusation that, in Hamas’s terms, warranted automatic execution. This was the fate of a protester named Oday Rabay. He was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and executed by Hamas soldiers and his body was “left at family doorstep.” As the protests persisted, Hamas reportedly launched an intimidation campaign, stationing soldiers with guns around protest sites after issuing warnings that demonstrators would be treated as Israeli collaborators. To save their lives, the protesters retreated and fell silent once more.

But these anti-Hamas demonstrations expose a deep internal divide among Palestinians and deliver a strong rebuke to naïve Western sympathizers of Hamas.

On the one hand, the protests demonstrate that Palestinians are far from unified and should not be seen as a single, cohesive group. Many in the international community attribute all Palestinian woes to Israel, but those who portray Palestinians solely as victims oppressed by Israel overlook the fierce internal conflicts between various Palestinian factions, and the repression of the Palestinians inflicted by Hamas itself. This has nothing to do with Israel—it’s proof of a lust for power and a hunger for control among Palestinian leaders themselves, as well as a lack of genuine concern for their own people in the pursuit of political gain.

While the protests underscore the widespread dissatisfaction with Hamas among Gazans today, they reveal much more than that. They lay bare the power struggle between Hamas—an Islamist militant group that rules Gaza through intimidation and terrorism—and Fatah, the somewhat nationalist faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority and controls large parts of the West Bank. Both groups govern by instilling fear in those living under their harsh rule. Some terrorize residents openly and without shame, while others do so subtly and cunningly.

What many fail to recognize is that Gaza fell to Hamas in 2007 after a disputed 2006 election, which sparked a brief civil war between Hamas and Fatah. Though Hamas and Fatah project different public images and employ distinct rhetoric, they share many similarities. Both rely on religious slogans and political claims to assert legitimacy among a powerless, deceived populace, largely swayed by the Islamic belief that Jews are their worst enemy and Israel must be eradicated. While both Hamas and Fatah insist that Israel is the primary cause of all Palestinian problems, the reality is that these Palestinian leaders have repeatedly shown they care more about power and authority than the well-being of their own people.

On the other hand, these Gazan protesters have finally overcome fear and intimidation to stand against Hamas’s brutal militants. Their demonstrations deliver a sharp rebuke to many naïve Hamas sympathizers, especially in the West, who have consistently blamed Israel without considering the lies and deception propagated by Hamas and its propaganda machine. The protesters’ message is clear: Many Gazans are tired of supporting Hamas and want it gone entirely. They have come to realize, one way or another, that Hamas exploits vulnerable Palestinians for its political agenda.

In a sense, these protests should serve as a wake-up call for those who believed Hamas offered anything positive. Its leaders are tyrants, and its fighters are terrorists—and there is no justification for defending them. One can only hope that the protesters’ voices become a powerful call for all in the West who have supported Hamas in recent months to feel regret and remorse, as their backing of terrorists has undoubtedly cost lives that might have been spared.

However, the Gazan protesters could not withstand Hamas’s brutality and were forced to retreat. As seen in many historical instances, Islamists suppress dissent and silence opposition while cloaking themselves in the banner of religion and its defenders.

Without lies, Hamas dies. Hamas must not emerge with a leadership role in Gaza. If the world wants to protect Palestinians, Hamas must be defeated.