Thousands of Palestinians participated in the demonstrations that erupted in various parts of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. According to some reports and witnesses, Hamas security officers used force to disperse the protesters. Scores of Palestinians were arrested and injured, they claimed.
The demonstrations are seen by Palestinians as a big embarrassment for the Hamas leaders, many of whom are currently based in Qatar, Turkey, and Lebanon. Yet, at this stage, the protests do not seem to pose a real threat to Hamas’s rule over the coastal enclave.
Similar protests took place in the Gaza Strip four years ago under the slogan “We want to live!” The protests, however, were quickly suppressed by Hamas security forces and militiamen belonging to its armed wing, Izaddin al-Qassam. Then, Hamas accused its rivals in the ruling Fatah faction headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of being behind the protests.
The latest protests coincided with increased talk about a possible reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. READ MORE