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Some of my insights regarding the protests against Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip:

1. The protests and the hatred of Hamas throughout Gaza are 100% authentic. They are certainly not the result of the resumption of fighting alone, but rather stem from the intense anger toward Hamas triggered by the return to fighting, which has led to:

• A shift from sumud (steadfastness) to survival—no one remains in their homes anymore when the IDF calls for evacuation;
• A public call in northern Gaza to surrender;
• Many claim they no longer want the return of prisoners but “only food and tents”;
• A public call to overthrow the Hamas regime and for the organization to leave the Strip.

2. The protest organizers are activists from the Bidna Na‘ish (We Want to Live) movement of Fatah in the Strip. They had two previous waves of protest—in 2019 against the high cost of living and in 2023 against Hamas’s rule in the Strip. Back then, it ended in beatings and arrests.
3. Qatar is doing everything it can to sabotage the protests. It doesn’t cover the chants of the demonstrators and shows only the signs calling for an end to the war, and it publishes misleading statements from local leaders in northern Gaza who supposedly still support Hamas. Needless to say, the stone-throwing at Hamas operatives who came to disperse the protest wasn’t broadcast, nor were the demonstrators’ chants of “Hamas Al-Jazeera” (the Gazans claim Al Jazeera’s false portrayal of Hamas as strong and in control led Israel to resume fighting).