Amid the horror, misery and anger at Israel on the streets of Gaza is another sentiment that may surprise those less familiar with the history of the enclave: fury with Hamas.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, four Palestinians across Gaza told Associated Press about officials from the terror group being attacked and verbally abused by desperate residents.
On the past few nights, the occupants of a UN shelter have vented their rage at Hamas terrorists as they watched rockets from Gaza being fired into Israel.
According to a 28-year-old sleeping in the tent shelter with his family, in the middle of the night, hundreds of people shouted insults against Hamas and cried out that they wanted the war to end.
Also according to AP, on Tuesday a young man with a bandaged wrist pushed his way through the crowd to heckle Iyad Bozum, spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, who had been giving a live televised press conference. “May God hold you to account, Hamas!” he shouted.
One man who was told off by a Hamas officer for jumping the bread queue took a chair and smashed it over his head, according to an aid worker who was present.
In another area, angry crowds hurled stones at Hamas police who pushed into a queue for water. The crowd beat them with their fists until the terrorists scattered, according to a journalist there.
Those who have fled the battle in the north of the Gaza Strip must queue for bread and water handouts; infectious diseases are taking hold among those staying in UN shelters and there is little food to go around.
One woman told Associated Press that her nephew had been stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife after being accused of jumping the queue for water. Other reports to the news agency confirmed a wider picture of tension among residents competing for scarce resources.
“The social fabric for which Gaza was known is fraying due to the anxiety and uncertainty and loss,” said Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told AP.
This week the IDF facilitated the evacuation of around 50,000 Gazan civilians southern Gaza. An Israeli spokesperson said many of those had refused to comply with Hamas’s demand that they serve as human shields in the current confrontation.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said: “They understand that Hamas lost control of northern Gaza; in the south, there are safer areas where water food and medicine arrive. We will also allow tomorrow for Gazans to leave Hamas’s shackles.”
