Hundreds of Palestinians Protest Hamas as Death Toll Surpasses 50,000 in Gaza

What Happened?

Hundreds of Palestinians protested in northern Gaza against the militant group Hamas, witnesses said Wednesday in a rare display of public frustration.

Video obtained and shared online showed large crowds of people chanting 'Hamas out,' in response to the group's latest war with its October 7, 2023 raid on Israel.

The protests came after the death toll in Gaza surpassed 50,000 on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Most of the infrastructure in northern Gaza has been reduced to rubble as residents have been moved several times to escape the conflict.

'It was a spontaneous rally against the war because people are tired and they have no place to go,' one witness told Reuters.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that the protest showed that its offensive decisions were working in Gaza.

Netanyahu accused Hamas, who polices the area, of disappearing after emerging during a ceasefire.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim stated that the people had the right to protest the suffering inflicted by the war.

He did reportedly denounce what he viewed as 'suspicious political agendas' following tension from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement.

Fatah leads the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank.

According to reports, the movement called on Hamas to 'respond to the call of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.'

Why it Matters

The United Nations agency UNRWA said Sunday that no food, water, medicines, or fuel had entered Gaza in three weeks.

'Every day without food inches Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis,' the agency stated in a social media post.

Since the hostilities resumed in Gaza, at least 124,000 people have reportedly been displaced.

The UN Humanitarian (OCHA) office estimates over one million people in Gaza are now at risk of being left without food.

Israeli military resumed its ground operations across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 500 people in several days.

Although many have been told to evacuate, a blockade has been restored on northern Gaza, including Gaza City.

Israel Defense Forces resumed the targeted operations to widen its security zone to retake part of the Netzarim Corridor.

A second-phase ceasefire is shattered as Israel pushes forward with its war goals against Hamas amid a lack of progress.

Families have urged a return to the negotiations to prevent the death of other hostages.

Israel says Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive, according to reports.

How it Affects You

The growing concern is to prevent the permanent displacement of Gaza’s 2.1 million people.

Israel's security cabinet approved the proposal to organize 'a voluntary transfer for Gaza residents who express interest in moving to third countries.'

A vision that President Donald Trump and his administration have pushed for that Netanyahu reportedly once pledged against.

Neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt have rejected such proposals.

It's a move critics have warned could amount to ethnic cleansing, as the future of Gaza remains unclear.