Thousands of Palestinians chanted against Hamas during anti-war protests last week in the Gaza Strip, the biggest show of anger at the militant group since its attack on Israel ignited the war.
Protesters said they were venting anger and desperation as they endure a new round of war and displacement after . They leveled unusually direct criticism at Hamas even while remaining furious at Israel, the United States and others for their plight.
Public expressions of dissent have been extremely rare since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. The militant group has violently dispersed occasional protests and jailed, tortured or killed those who challenged its rule. Hamas has faced no significant internal challenge since the start of the war and , despite losing most of its top leaders and thousands of fighters.
There is also nearly universal anger at Israel, whose offensive has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and . Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid for a month and renewed its offensive. Israel blames the high death toll on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas, accusing it of showing no concern for Palestinian civilians.
“The protest was not about politics. It was about people’s lives,†said Mohammed Abu Saker, a father of three from the bombed-out town of Beit Hanoun who joined a demonstration. “We can’t stop Israel from killing us, but we can press Hamas to give concessions.â€
Is Hamas popular?
Nearly all Palestinians support some form of resistance to Israel’s and — which predate Hamas’ founding in the 1980s.
In general, support for Hamas in the occupied West Bank and Gaza tends to increase when it battles Israel and subside during periods of relative calm.
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which has conducted scientific polling in Gaza and the West Bank for decades, found before this war began that about equal numbers of Palestinians supported Hamas and the secular Fatah movement led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security.
But polls taken since the start of the war show Hamas has been consistently more popular than Fatah. The change is particularly pronounced in the West Bank, where support for Hamas rose immediately after the . Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
In Gaza, the polls provide some evidence that support for Hamas rose slightly in the immediate aftermath of the attack, but since then has returned to about where it stood previously. Hamas has not had the support of most Palestinians, in either territory, either before or after the war began.
Wartime polling in Gaza is especially challenging due to a lack of access to some regions and mass displacement. There is also potentially even more pressure on respondents to answer a particular way.
Tahani Mustafa, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said it's difficult to gauge Hamas' support. “I wouldn’t say it’s either popular or unpopular at this point in time," she said.
The Associated Press contacted dozens of Palestinians about Hamas in recent months. The vast majority declined to be interviewed or requested anonymity, fearing retribution from Hamas — or from Israel if they voiced support for the group. Many said they were just struggling to stay alive.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers.
Israel says it has killed some 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. Hamas has not disclosed the full extent of its losses.
How does Hamas handle dissent?
Hamas since seizing power from the Palestinian Authority —led by Fatah. Rights groups say both Palestinian authorities crack down on protests and .
In the past, Hamas has killed people it accused of being collaborators with Israel, as well as some who have challenged its rule. There are no confirmed reports of anyone being killed for taking part in the latest protests.
Israel and Western nations consider Hamas a terrorist organization because of its long history of attacks that have killed Israeli civilians.
Gaza residents, speaking on condition of anonymity out of security concerns, say plainclothes Hamas security men have patrolled the territory throughout the war, maintaining law and order while also quashing dissent.
But Hamas' detractors may have other reasons for staying quiet.
Any perceived criticism of armed resistance against Israel is generally frowned upon in Palestinian society and seen as treasonous by some, especially during wartime.
Family elders of Beit Lahiya, where the first protest erupted last week, released a statement backing demands to end to the war while reaffirming their support for armed resistance.
Saeed Abu Elaish, a medic from Jabaliya, , lost his wife, their two daughters and several relatives in an Israeli airstrike. He said he's sick of hearing Hamas leaders call for more sacrifice. “Stop this war. Stop these massacres,†he said.
But he was also angry at Israel's expressions of support for the protests, accusing it of exploiting them. "It’s mainly against Israel before it’s against Hamas,†he said.
Many Palestinians see armed resistance as the only path to independence because peace negotiations and forms of nonviolent resistance — like boycotts — have largely failed.
“There is a red line in the Palestinian national discourse. You simply don’t criticize armed resistance,†Mustafa said. “To do that will then provide the kind of pretext that Israel and the international community are looking for†to support Israel’s actions.
Why is there no alternative to Hamas in Gaza?
The last serious Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in 2009, at the start of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nearly unbroken 15 years in power. Abbas, who is 89 and deeply unpopular, is still committed to a two-state solution, while the Israeli government is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas and ruled out any role for Abbas' Palestinian Authority in Gaza, saying it is not truly committed to peace. He says Israel will maintain open-ended security control, as it does in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority administers population centers.
That means there is no one around whom opponents of Hamas might rally, and .
Most Palestinians alive today were not old enough to vote the last time national elections were held, in 2006, when Hamas won a landslide victory. Abbas, whose mandate ended in 2009, has repeatedly promised elections . Polling indicates .
Hamas has said it's willing to cede power in Gaza to other Palestinians but has rejected Israeli and U.S. demands that it disarm and go into exile. An armed Hamas would maintain influence in Gaza even if it gives up nominal authority.
With no clear alternative to Hamas and no end in sight to the war, some protesters have expressed despair.
“Our children have been killed. Our houses have been destroyed,†said Abed Radwan. He said the protest he joined last week was against the war, Hamas, other Palestinian factions, Israel and "the world’s silence.â€
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