Palestinians voice frustration with Hamas in rare Gaza protest

Palestinians protested in the Gaza Strip on March 25 in a rare show of dissent against Hamas, with some chanting slogans critical of the armed group's grip on the territory after more than a year of devastating war with Israel.

- Iyad Abuheweila, Abu Bakr Bashir, Aaron Boxerman and Malachy Browne

GAZA/JERUSALEM - Palestinians protested in the Gaza Strip on March 25 in a rare show of dissent against Hamas, with some chanting slogans critical of the armed group's grip on the territory after more than a year of devastating war with Israel.

Videos verified by The New York Times showed groups of Palestinians in the half-ruined streets in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Some carried more neutral signs that opposed the continuation of the war, while others chanted slogans calling for Hamas to get out.

Palestinians, at least publicly, tend to blame Israel for much of the death, destruction and hunger the war has brought.

But at least some hold Hamas responsible as well for starting the conflict by leading the Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel, abducting 251 people to Gaza and continuing to fight rather than giving up its power in exchange for a ceasefire.