Dozens of Palestinian children in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah held a rare protest against Hamas on Wednesday, calling on the terrorist organization to release Israeli hostages and end the war so they can return to their homes.
Outside Deir al-Balah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the children held white pieces of paper reading, “Yes to giving back the prisoners” and expressing wishes to return to homes in Jabalia and Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip.
“Will these cries and demands reach the hideouts of Hamas leaders?” Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesman, asked on X.
The protest came one day after another small demonstration against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Videos circulating on social media featured Palestinians cursing Hamas and its senior leader, Yahye Sinwar, who masterminded the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis living near the Gaza border.
There is no organized opposition to Hamas in Gaza.
An estimated 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. Hamas currently holds 136 men, women and children captive in the Strip. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.
