Palestine Chronicle’s Robert Inlakesh examines the true motivations behind the anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, dissecting media portrayals and geopolitical influences.
Protests broke out in Gaza twice this week, included within which were contingents that voiced anger at Hamas.
These incidents received significant media attention that portray an organic uprising against the Palestinian movement that maintains governing power inside the besieged territory, but is this the truth?
On Tuesday, a series of small protests began against the war in Gaza, which occurred in the territory’s north, the most notable took place in Beit Lahia.
“Hamas out,” some signs read, and a few dozen were recorded chanting the same, as others held up posters calling for an end to the war. The following day, local leaders also called for protests in other areas throughout Gaza, all of which denounced the anti-Hamas elements.
The first day of the protests did feature a clear anti-Hamas element, but its size was very small and popular support was non-existent, which was reflected in a joint statement issued by community notables in Beit Lahia who denounced any attempts to attack the Palestinian resistance, meaning Hamas in this case.
However, suddenly, the Israeli media, in addition to Saudi state-funded outlets Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiyya, began covering the protests as if an anti-Hamas uprising was occurring from within the Gaza Strip. It wasn’t long before Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz even weighed in to encourage continued protests, as officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA) also did the same.
After various calls for protests, encouraged by the PA and Israel, the following day there were a few hundred who decided to show up and voice their disdain for Hamas. Despite the small scale of the demonstrations, the Western corporate media and a handful of Palestinian influencers online managed to make it appear as if these demonstrations were the will of the majority in the Gaza Strip.
Why Did These Protests Happen?
To begin with, it is important to note that the protests were minuscule in size compared to the rather robust anti-Hamas demonstrations that had previously taken place prior to the beginning of the Gaza genocide in October of 2023. The majority of the hype occurred online and through the media.
In September of 2023, thousands of Palestinians throughout Gaza had taken to the streets for a number of days in order to protest against the governance of the territory by Hamas, an affair that quickly ended following mediation. There were also countless protests in Gaza over the years against Hamas, as they were the elected governing force, over a whole range of issues.
Some of these demonstrations were initiated by former employees of the Fatah-run PA, which is a Hamas rival, while others were spontaneous and genuine.
While it is impossible to know the intentions of each and every person out of the few hundred who decided to protest against Hamas over the two day period, it is important to note that there were public calls from both the Palestinian Authority and Israel that encouraged the demonstrations.
One thing to keep in mind here is that there are still people in Gaza who genuinely disapprove of Hamas as a political party, while the population at large is also currently in a desperate state due to the Israeli genocide and the blocking of all aid from entering the territory.
This means that throughout the war, there have been conditions conducive for countless people to be paid to collaborate with Israel and the PA. Unfortunately, this came in the form of criminal gangs who stole aid or forced aid agencies to pay bribes to allow the passage of goods into civilian areas.
These bands of armed outlaws worked under the direct supervision of the Israeli military and were permitted to approach aid trucks, to hoard goods, sending the prices through the roof, while also seeking to crumble law and order in the absence of the Hamas security force presence on the streets.
In fact, Israel tried to use these criminal elements in the northern Gaza Strip throughout the war, but failed dramatically after they were effectively purged by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. Even the PA tried to find a foothold in various areas of Gaza throughout the war, but also failed abysmally.
None of this is to say that there aren’t frustrated people in Gaza who just want the war to end and are desperate enough to see that through any means, nor is it to disregard those who hold legitimate personal grievances or political differences with Hamas.
These people do exist, and the population of Gaza is far from a monolith. Yet, it is also true that they were encouraged by Israel and the PA for their own insidious purposes, with indications that loyalists were part of the protests themselves. In addition to this, all data indicates that the overwhelming majority of people in Gaza are in support of the resistance factions’ armed wings, despite political alignment being extremely mixed.
It is also notable that the ‘National Assembly of Palestinian Tribes, Clans, and Families’ also denounced the anti-Hamas protesters in an official statement:
“Amid the resumption of the genocidal war waged by the zionist enemy against the Gaza Strip for approximately a year and a half, and given our people’s steadfastness in the face of all enemy plans (tribal alternatives, General’s Plan, humanitarian bubbles, etc.)—all of which have failed against our people’s steadfastness, patience, and resilience—suspicious parties have emerged at a dubious time, mobilizing a handful of misled individuals under the guise of Palestinian families, clans, and tribes, presenting demands that completely align with the zionist enemy and its collaborators.
“Thus, we in the National Assembly of Palestinian Tribes, Clans, and Families affirm the following:
- Palestinian tribes, clans, and families constitute an essential component of our Palestinian people, upon whose strength the enemy’s most dangerous schemes to create loyal tribal alternatives have been shattered.
- Palestinian tribes, clans, and families remain the primary support for the resistance, with resistance cadres and leaders coming from among us; resistance to occupation remains the only path as long as the occupation persists.
- We warn all those who speak in the name of Palestinian tribes, clans, and families participating in suspicious movements, affirm our non-participation, and call on our people not to participate.
- We declare that we withdraw tribal and national support from those driving these suspicious activities. We support any actions taken by relevant authorities against them and demand that these authorities act decisively against those attempting to sow discord among our people during this exceptional period in our Palestinian cause.
“In conclusion, we extend great greetings to our steadfast and resilient people and to the heroic resistance. Mercy upon our righteous martyrs, swift recovery to our noble wounded, freedom to our brave prisoners, and victory is the ally of our people.”
What Are The Goals Of The Demonstrations?
As of now, there isn’t really an anti-Hamas movement to even be spoken of, despite the desperate attempts to portray this by influencers, along with Saudi, Israeli, and Western media. However, if a revolt did actually start, openly calling for the expulsion of Hamas, it is important to understand what this means.
Israel’s goal in Gaza is clearly the mass expulsion of the civilian population. They overtly seek the ethnic cleansing of besieged territory to make way for a land grab. The only thing preventing this from happening is the existence of the Palestinian armed resistance factions; without them, the Israelis would simply take over Gaza, and its people would be at the mercy of their military.
Some would then argue that if Hamas was to leave, along with the other Palestinian armed factions, this could pave the way for an end to the war, and the conditions of the people would improve. Not only is this proposition directly contradicted by the Israeli leadership itself, but the historical examples also point to the very opposite.
When the Israelis launched their onslaught on Lebanon in 1982, during which Israel murdered between 15,000 to 20,000 people, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) agreed to flee to Tunisia.
When they fighters departed and nobody was left behind to fight back, Israel used its fascist allied militia forces to commit a series of civilian massacres, including the largest mass murder of civilians in a single day in the history of the conflict amongst the refugees of Sabra and Shatila, most of whom were women and children.
In response to those who argue that the absence of armed factions would pave the way for an effective non-violent resistance, an example currently exists for this, it’s called the West Bank. Not only has the PA denounced the armed struggle, killing, arresting, and torturing its own people when they attempt an armed rebellion, but they also actively carry out Israel’s dirty work in the West Bank.
Despite the PA’s attacks on its own people, which have now extended to cracking down on protests against the genocide in Gaza with brute force, the Israeli settlements continue to expand throughout the West Bank.
Not only does the Israeli government seize more Palestinian land there, but at this current time, the death toll there is currently higher than during the height of the Second Intifada, when there was a well-oiled armed resistance that was backed by former PA President Yasser Arafat.
On top of this, Gaza tried non-violent resistance in 2018 with the Great Return March. What happened? Israel mass murdered hundreds of unarmed civilians, including women, children, the elderly, journalists, paramedics, and even disabled people, injuring tens of thousands more. The Western corporate media simply ignored it or claimed that Israel was defending its “border”.
So, let’s imagine the scenario that Hamas is forced out of Gaza. Who is going to stop Israel from ethnically cleansing, re-occupying, and annexing the territory?
If Israel is seeking annexation of the West Bank, while continuing to ethnically cleanse East Jerusalem, which it already annexed illegally, then what incentive would there be to somehow allow the people of Gaza to rebuild and govern themselves?
As of now, Israel can’t implement its ethnic cleansing plan because of three factors: The armed resistance, the Israeli captives, and the surrounding Arab regimes, which don’t want to absorb the civilian population of Gaza.
Although the anti-Hamas protests aren’t actually significant enough to be considered a factor at this time, let’s imagine that the dozens of people chanting “Hamas out” got what they were looking for. The reality is they would most likely be displaced themselves.
Despite there being anti-Hamas opinions in Gaza and the suffering population being under the most unbearable pressure known to man, the idea that expelling Hamas through force would somehow be positive or that the majority of Palestinians in Gaza believe this to be a viable option, is simply meritless.
If Israel’s intentions were to fight Hamas, they could have done that, yet they chose to inflict a genocide, they chose to blow up the majority of the civil infrastructure and make the territory unlivable, and they are currently choosing to starve the entire population through implementing a complete ban on all humanitarian aid.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.
Nice piece from you that bring peace of mind to a modest mind but definitely shatters the corrupt mind into pieces.
My question is how could a right thinking person or even a lay man prefers Israel with her many atrocities to Palestinians resistance fighters with their little shortcomings?
Israel vowed death,destructions & displacements to the Palestinians while those fighting amidst the Palestinians vowed liberation from oppressions.
Israel and their enabler & agents has to reluctantly accept & live with the fact that their aim & plan of turning the people against those that chose to fight back has ended in a big failure.
A very well written, detailed article that deconstructed the entire issue. Palestinians are not stupid; they do realize that the moment they drop their weapons, it would signal the start of a second, yet final Nakba. Liberation goes hand in hand with armed resistance. Palestinians have endured a lot, for sure. Yet this is not the time to give up. Not when the entire world grew more supportive of the Palestinian cause and aware of how degraded the Zionist scumbags and their allies are. This is the final chapter of this ongoing tragedy, and the defeat of Zionism is looming in the distance.
The people of Palestine need Hamas. No one has fought so hard for the freedom of the people. Mostly all of the reports of their brutality have been debunked, proven false, or incorrect. And of course the Zionists can’t be trusted. The Israelis seem to enjoy watching women and children blown to bits by 500 pound bombs. That is not normal. They don’t want peace, they want a one-state solution: an Israel free of all Arabs. The rest of the world sees how they are, and no one trusts them. My US government is corrupt, paid to side with the baby-killers. I object to what they’ve done in my name. I will never support
” Israel ” . I pity the small handful of good Jews there. The rest are useless.
In any war against an occupier, there have always been those who prefer collaboration with no reason to see the big picture, believing they will be saved by the colonial force and brought into the fold.
When reason based on truth, freedom, and health is used, the oppressing system will only ever need the downtrodden to be slaves to the chosen ones.
History argues that fighting evil is now vital for the soul of truth.
the PA is a weak quisling entity that the Palestinians, even in the West Bank and Jordan, must view with utter disgust…the PA should have helped HAMAS, instead the PA out of jealousy for power betrays the Palestinians… HAMAS is the ONLY hope for Palestinian Freedom and it should hit the zionists harder than ever! …. HAMAS has already demonstrated to the entire World that israel is Nothing to fear and that israel can be defeated… HAMAS has lured israel into showing its true hateful racist genocidal face…. Few even in the West now care if israel survives at all.
All these are war weapons as well but we pray for victory for our brothers against all forms of enemy weaponry
You guys are delusional. Hamas brings nothing but endless war and suffering to the Palestinians. Not that you guys care, you would sacrifice every last Palestinian for your delusional ideas.
“Rashid”? Is that all you got?? Wonky Bot, you’re drunk. Go to bed.
It’s clear that there’s a global campaign against Hamas orchestrated by the United States, Israel, and their allies in the European Union, the Gulf Arab monarchies, Jordan, and “democratic” republican Egypt. This is how I see it from my home country, Mexico, where every Western media outlet has spread the anti-Hamas narrative on the internet—from CNN, the BBC, El País, to Amnesty International—magnifying the protests against Hamas, with the aim of undermining the legitimacy not only of Hamas but of the entire Palestinian resistance facing the genocidal Zionist entity in Gaza and the West Bank.
Even though, over in Gaza, it’s only a very small group of people protesting against Hamas, one should ask them, if it weren’t for Hamas, then, who else could possibly take its place in attempting to resist the Holocaust being committed by the Zionist military against the entire Gaza Strip? Do these protesters actually have a resistance group who’s more qualified to fight back against the genocidal Zionist entity? Because, without the presence of Hamas, Israel’s Holocaust against Gaza’s civilian population would have easily been completed in less than 9 months (from the time it began), with the entire Gaza Strip falling into the possession of the genocidal Zionist occupation army.