The protest that Hamas did not want to see

There is something new in Gaza, and it is louder than the noise of the bombs: the voice of the people. “Hamas out!” shout hundreds of people in Beit Lahia, in a territory devastated by war, where fear has always stifled dissent. But this time, the protest has erupted. And if even under the bombs of Israel someone finds the courage to challenge Hamas, it means that the wind could really change.

Gaza. For years, the dominant narrative has presented Gaza as a political monolith, a single voice bent to the leadership of the Islamist group. But those who know the reality of the Strip know well that this is not the case. The civilian population is crushed by a double yoke: isolation and Israeli offensives on one side, repression and authoritarian rule by Hamas on the other. Now, among the rubble, a simple and revolutionary question reemerges: “Do we want to live.”

This is not the first time that Palestinians in Gaza have tried to rebel against Hamas. Back in 2019, the “Bidna N’eesh” (“We Want to Live”) movement highlighted popular discontent over the economic crisis, but it was brutally suppressed. Today, according to some witnesses, Hamas security forces infiltrated the crowd to disperse the demonstration. The difference this time is that the context is more dramatic: after a year and a half of war, the population is exhausted and, above all, less willing to remain silent.

For Israel, these protests are a confirmation of its narrative: Hamas does not represent all Palestinians, and indeed, many of them want to rid themselves of the group. But the reality is more complex: protesting against Hamas does not necessarily mean siding with Israel. Rather, it means demanding a third way, an alternative that has so far been stifled. Those who protest are no longer asking for more wars, but for a different future, free from the iron grip of Hamas.

Will these protests spread? Will Hamas manage to stifle them as in the past? Will Israel use them as a justification to continue its military campaign? Too many questions, too few certainties. But one thing is certain: for the first time in a long time, in the dark night of Gaza, a spark of change can be glimpsed.