KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip — Years of successive crises in the besieged Gaza Strip have seemingly reached a boiling point, with Gazans erupting in anger against the Hamas movement in the last two weeks.

Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets last Sunday and again this Friday in various areas of the Gaza Strip in rare public protests against Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2006. 

Masses gathered in Gaza City, Nuseirat, Khan Yunis, the Jabaliya refugee camp, Rafah, Bani Suheila and Shujaiya. The protesters chanted, “Hamas leave us be,” “We want to live,” and “The people want the fall of the regime.” The protests are politically, economically and socially driven, as living conditions and power outages in Gaza have become unbearable. 

Aside from Israel's blockade of Gaza, many protesters believe that Hamas’ mismanagement also played a big part in the deterioration of economic conditions.

Ramy, a demonstrator who was hit in the shoulder with a baton while protesting in Bani Suheila town, told Al-Monitor, “They [Hamas’ security forces] barbarically attacked us even though the protests were completely peaceful. ... They don’t care. They don’t even pretend to care about us.”

“Their [Hamas’] leaders ruined Gaza beyond hope and turned it into a place of misery, and yet they live luxurious lifestyles," added Ramy, who refused to reveal his full name. 

Fadi, another young demonstrator in Bani Suheila, told Al-Monitor, “Years of our lives are being wasted. We’re suffering. We can’t find work, we can't make any money, we can’t get married, we can’t put food on the table. We can’t do anything in Gaza.”

Ahmed Hasan, who was also part of the protests in Bani Suheila, told Al-Monitor, “To this day, Hamas leaders don’t act like they’re the rulers of Gaza. ... They’re lazy, corrupt, careless and inhumane,” 

Hamas always responds by cracking down severely, Shehada told Al-Monitor, and more importantly, "the main culprit behind Gaza’s suffering remains the 16-year-old Israeli blockade,” he added.

One of the groups advocating for the “We Want to Live” movement released a statement following the protests on Sunday, that read , “The time of silence over injustice and the exploitation of religion for oppression is over.”

Despite the crackdown, activists on social media continue to call for new protests. Another wave of demonstrations is taking to the streets this weekend. 

Source: Al Monitor