Rare protests against Hamas erupt in Gaza: What to know

Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening to protest against the Hamas militant group and demand an end to the Israel-Hamas war — an uncommon display of defiance against the group’s decades-long rule over the enclave.

The largest protest took place in the northern city of Beit Lahiya, according to local media. Videos circulating online showed large crowds walking among the rubble in the city, chanting anti-Hamas slogans such as "We don't want war" and “We want to live." People held banners that read “Enough wars.” 

Northern Gaza is one of the areas hardest hit by the war. It had been cut off from the southern Gaza Strip after Israeli forces launched a ground invasion there at the start of the war in October 2023, while heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling continued unabated. UN agencies repeatedly warned of the dire situation in northern Gaza due to lack of access to humanitarian aid, repeated attacks on hospitals and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. More than 50,000 people have been killed in the war, local health officials said. 

The protests continued on Wednesday in northern Gaza. CNN carried a video from Beit Lahia where protesters can be heard chanting "For god’s sake, Hamas out,” “Hamas terrorists” and “We want an end to the war.”