Palestinians protest life in Gaza Strip under Hamas rule

Thousands of Palestinians across the Gaza Strip protested Sunday afternoon against Hamas, the Islamic terror group governing the region. Palestinians protested against the poor quality of life under the regime, specifically chronic power outages from the unstable electricity grid. Protesters burned Hamas flags and chanted phrases like “What a shame” and “Where is the electricity and where is the gas?” Hamas forces quickly quashed protests, according to numerous accounts. Witnesses in the south Gaza city of Khan Younis said police destroyed the cellphones of people who were filming the protests.

What separates this protest from others? Palestinians rarely protest against Islamic terror groups such as Hamas. The Islamic military group captured the area in 2007. Countries like Israel and Egypt have blocked trade with Gaza after Hamas took over, which has crippled Gaza’s economy and contributed to the area’s energy crisis. Palestinians said they will continue their protests on Friday.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report on the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.