Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in northern Gaza calling for an end to the war and chanting slogans such as "Hamas out," according to social media posts, in a rare show of opposition to the armed organization that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war that followed.
Northern Gaza is one of the most devastated areas in the Palestinian enclave. Most buildings in this densely populated area have been reduced to rubble and most of the population has been displaced multiple times to escape the conflict.
"Out, out, out, Hamas go away," protesters chanted, as seen in a post on X, apparently from the Beit Lahiya area of Gaza on Tuesday.
The video posted shows people marching on a dusty road between war-damaged houses.
The posts began circulating on social media late last night. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the protest from buildings, utility poles and road layouts that matched satellite imagery in the area.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the date of the video, but several videos and photos posted on social media show protests in the area on March 25.
In other posts, one of the banners held by the crowd read "Enough with the wars!", while the protesters chanted "We don't want war!".
Hundreds of thousands of residents who fled to southern Gaza at the start of the war, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 50.000 Palestinians, had returned to their destroyed homes in northern Gaza when the ceasefire came into effect in January.
Now, Israel has issued evacuation orders in Gaza after its forces resumed the military operation on March 18, breaking a two-month ceasefire during which Hamas handed over more hostages than the approximately 250 it had captured during its 2023 incursion.
The gunmen killed more than 1.200 people in that raid.
Since Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza, claiming that its goal is to completely dismantle Hamas, nearly 700 people have been killed, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
Source: protothema.gr
