The targets of derision and scorn aren’t Israel and America.
It’s Hamas.
Risking their lives, Palestinians are in the streets calling for an end to war and for Hamas’ removal from power in the Gaza Strip.
The Iran-backed terrorist group was voted into power with 74 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 and was able to force out political opposition by 2007.
The protests, which have centered mainly on the north side of Gaza, Daily Mail reports, have been aimed generally at opposition to the war, but public calls for the ouster of Hamas are unmistakable.
Protesters, risking fierce brutality in response, have chanted slogans such as “Hamas out!” and “Hamas terrorists!”
In the town of Beit Lahiya, an estimated crowd of 3,000 chanted “the people want the fall of Hamas.”
In the Shijaiyah neighborhood it was “Out, out, out! Hamas get out!”
Protester Ammar Hassan told Daily Mail by phone, “It’s the only party we can affect. Protests won’t stop the (Israeli) occupation, but it can affect Hamas.”
The protests have coincided with resumption of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
“You have to realize that Hamas brutally cracks down on any opposition. That means beatings in public. It could be torture, could be imprisonment, and even death. So, for any group of hundreds and maybe even more of people to come against Hamas, it could mark a turning point in the war,” Chris Mitchell, the Middle East Bureau Chief for CBN News, said on Washington Watch Wednesday.
What this means for hostages still held by Hamas is unclear, Mitchell told show host Tony Perkins.
Not the first signs of discontent
But there have been earlier hints at unrest among the Palestinians.
Several months ago, an Israeli television station interviewed people moving from one area to another. There was cursing of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be one of the chief planners of the Oct. 7 attacks from Gaza that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in October of 2024.
That Palestinian opposition to Hamas was “more isolated, but this seems like a growing group. We’ll see what happens,” Mitchell said. “It’s a hopeful sign that maybe people inside Gaza will come against Hamas itself.”
There’s no question that Gaza residents airing their grievances have been emboldened by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) advances and success in rooting out Hamas leaders and operatives.
“Definitely, their (IDF) presence in both the north (of Gaza) and the south, and maybe (Gazans) feel a sense of security. The IDF, it seems is making significant inroads against Hamas, increasing its presence,” Mitchell said.
Hamas’ partner government in Iran has a history of cracking down on dissent.
In 2022, the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died while in the custody of the “morality police,” sparking nationwide protests. The government responded by killing 341 protesters, many of them children, according to Human Rights Watch.
Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch listed Iran among the top five countries for executions.
There have been protests in Israel, too.
Thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv Saturday night after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government fired the head of Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence service, and resumed fighting in Gaza.
Israel’s Supreme Court issued an injunction temporarily blocking the dismissal.
Netanyahu has addressed his political opposition in parliament. “Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war? Perhaps you could stop fueling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets?”
Right now, the pleas of Palestinians are evidence that Netanyahu’s military plan is working, Mitchell said, especially as IDF forces take out key Hamas terrorists.
“This certainly puts pressure on Hamas, and really in the last week or so, they’ve eliminated maybe 10 Hamas leaders inside Gaza. Hamas right now may be reeling in terms of a lack of leadership. Maybe this is another factor where many of these people in Gaza feel safer and more free to go ahead and oppose this oppressive terrorist regime,” he said.
Overcoming indoctrination
Gazans may be buoyed by Hamas losses, but their freedom of expression can’t come without suppression of decades of hate, Mitchell said.
“Gazans, really a generation has been indoctrinated with this Hamas ideology,” Mitchell said.
What’s happening in Gaza right now could be the result of not traditional warriors but prayer warriors.
“We hope this can continue. Maybe this is the answer to many people praying for what’s happening in Gaza, for the release of the hostages, for many of these people in Gaza as well to be free from the oppression of Hamas, which is just brutal in the way it can come against people who oppose it,” Mitchell said.
