Cairo/Tel Aviv, Mar. 26, (dpa/GNA) – For a second straight day protests erupted across the Gaza Strip as thousands of Palestinians demanded an end to the war with Israel and voiced anger at Hamas leadership.
Demonstrations broke out in several areas on Wednesday evening, including Beit Lahia and Gaza City in the north and Khan Younis in the south, witnesses told dpa.
Many protesters openly denounced Hamas — a rare occurrence in the territory, where the Islamist group typically cracks down on dissent.
Much of the anger was directed at Hamas leaders living abroad.
Demonstrators accused them of ignoring the suffering of Gazans, as much of the coastal strip lies in ruins after more than 17 months of war. While living conditions in Gaza are catastrophic, some senior Hamas figures are known to reside in luxury in places like Qatar.
On Tuesday, hundreds also gathered in Beit Lahia to demand an end to the fighting, with some calling for Hamas to step aside. Similar protests reportedly took place elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
The war began after Hamas-led militants launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, heavy fighting has displaced most of Gaza’s 2 million residents, and many have lost multiple family members in the conflict.
Last week, Israel resumed large-scale military operations after ceasefire talks with Hamas collapsed.
Israel says new Gaza operations imminent
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz meanwhile announced that new operations would soon be conducted in further areas of the Gaza Strip, as he encouraged the anti-Hamas protests.
“The IDF will soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza, and you will be asked to evacuate from combat zones for your own safety,” he told residents of the coastal strip, in a video posted on X with Arabic subtitles.
Katz said Hamas was endangering the lives of Gaza’s residents and causing them to lose their homes.
Last week, Katz threatened that Israel would permanently take over parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas did not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the territory.
The longer Hamas refuses to release hostages, the more territory it will lose to Israel, the defence minister said.
Katz also called for continued demonstrations against Hamas, saying all Palestinians should “demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages — this is the only way to stop the war.”
Militants fire missiles at Israel
The extremist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) launched fresh missiles from the Gaza Strip at Israel, the Israeli military said on Wednesday.
Two rockets were fired at Israel from central Gaza, the military said, adding that one of the projectiles was intercepted.
The second missile came down in a settlement near the border with Gaza, it said.
PIJ said the attack was “a response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our Palestinian people.”
A third missile was fired by PIJ toward Israel on Wednesday evening.
The Israeli military resumed air and ground operations in Gaza last week, effectively shattering the temporary ceasefire negotiated with Hamas in January.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the renewed fighting, with Israel blaming failed negotiations with Hamas on extending the ceasefire.
GNA
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