Gaza’s rage unleashed: Funeral for executed protester turns into anti-Hamas uprising

In a powerful display of public defiance, Gazans have turned their frustration and anger toward Hamas, the governing militant group, amid a 17-month-long devastating war. The protests, fueled by anger over Hamas's harsh rule, have spread across Gaza, with demonstrators chanting "The people do not want war. The people do not want Hamas," in Beit Lahia and "Hamas terrorists" in Deir al-Balah.

These public protests, rare for Gaza, initially went unchallenged by Hamas, with reports suggesting the group feared targeting by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). However, Hamas quickly attempted to reframe the protests, claiming the anger was directed at Israel, with a Hamas spokesman telling Al-Araby television that demonstrations were expected due to the overwhelming hardship and devastation Palestinians were enduring.

Despite these attempts to control the narrative, the protests continued. Tragedy struck when 22-year-old Odai Nasser Saadi Al-Rubai was kidnapped, tortured, and executed by Hamas for participating in the protests. The brutal killing of Al-Rubai further fueled public outrage, and his funeral turned into a platform for even more defiance against Hamas. Videos of the funeral, shared by Palestinian human rights activist Ihab Hassan, show mourners chanting "Hamas out, out!" while firing their guns into the air in a symbolic rejection of the militant group’s control.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire, with the UN reporting that more than 2 million Gazans have lost their homes, and infrastructure damage has reached an estimated $18.5 billion as of January 2024. Much of the destruction is attributed to Hamas, which is accused of using its citizens as human shields and diverting humanitarian aid provided by Israel for its own militant agenda, further exacerbating the suffering of Gaza's civilian population.

As protests grow in Gaza, many are questioning Hamas's ability to govern and protect its people, with public sentiment increasingly turning against the group’s rule.