Gazans stage rare protest against Hamas rule

Protests broke out across the Gaza strip on Sunday in a rare display of dissatisfaction with the Hamas government amid increasingly difficult living conditions, a dwindling economy and allegations of corruption.

Hamas security forces quickly dispersed the protesters, who were burning flags of the militant group. Security personnel also destroyed demonstrators’ phones, witnesses said.

Crowds in the city of Khan Yunis chanted “Where is the electricity and where is the gas?” and “What a shame. What a shame.”

Protesters also criticized Hamas for deducting fees of about $15 fee from the monthly $100 stipend given to Gaza’s poorest families by the state of Qatar.

Sunday’s demonstrations were called for by activists via an Instagram page called “Al Virus Al Sakher” (“Satirical Virus”) in a post on July 16.

“We have been resilient for years… we will not be silent about our right to life’s fundamental needs. We will not be silent over lies and exploitation,” the post read.

The activists called for a solution to Gaza’s chronic power outages and for measures to be taken to “satisfy Gazans’ hunger”, such as by providing them with sufficient money through grants and salaries.

There was no immediate comment from the Hamas authorities.

More demonstrations have been called for August 4.

Also on Sunday, Hamas and the West Bank’s ruling Fatah party held talks in the Egyptian coastal city of Alamein in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to reconcile and form a unity government.

Fatah leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticised Hamas’s 2007 “coup” in Gaza that saw the militant group overthrow the Palestinian Authority and led to an Israeli and Egyptian blockade on the territory that continues to this day.

Mr Abbas is set to meet Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Monday for further talks.

Hamas and Fatah could reconcile if the militant group agrees to join the Palestinian Liberation Office (PLO) – which recognises Israel as a state.

Hamas currently denies Israel’s right to exist.

“If Hamas recognises the PLO Charter, it effectively becomes Fatah. The existence of Israel is an existential issue for Hamas,” Washington Institute senior fellow Ghaith Al Omari, who has previously held positions in the Palestinian Authority, told The National.

Source: msn