TRANSCRIPT
Marching through the streets, through the wreckage left behind by Israel's military bombardment, thousands of anti-war protesters are gathering across Gaza.
While the protesters are largely calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza, many are also making calls for an end to Hamas' rule over the territory.
“Our message that we want to deliver, first to the Israeli occupation, stop the war, stop the bloodshed that is happening, we can’t tolerate any more. The second message is to Hamas, the government of Hamas - brothers, we’ve had enough, I swear to God, we’re tired, there’s nothing. There no house to stay, no food, no salary, no family members remaining, I have become disabled. Up until this point, it’s enough.”
Mahmoud Alhaj Ahmed is a physician in Beit Lahiya, he says if it means an end to the destruction, Hamas needs to step down.
"Even us as Muslims, God hasn’t commanded destruction, God said that money and children are the adornment of the life of this world. We want to have adornment in our lives, this is our right, the least of our rights. In my point of view, the solution will be to form a committee from the Gaza strip managed by people who do not belong to any political party in the Gaza strip to manage the strip temporarily, then to have elections or whatever. This is something that doesn’t concern me as a physician, it concerns me to be ruled by people who don’t belong to any parties.”
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim, in a post on Facebook, wrote that people have the right to protest but that their focus should be on Israel, who he described as the "criminal aggressor".
Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have documented that in the past, Hamas has violently cracked down on protests in Gaza.
No outright intervention from Hamas has been reported in this instance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says if Hamas does not return the hostages, Israel will invade and seize parts of Gaza.
"The fighting in Gaza continues. The more Hamas continues in its refusal to release our hostages, the more powerful the repression we exert will be. And I say to you, members of the Knesset, and I say it to Hamas as well - this includes seizing territory and it includes other things, that I'm not going to specify here.”
In Israel however, Mr Netanyahu is facing his own calls to step down.
Thousands of Israelis have been taking part in daily anti-government protests, accusing Mr Netanyahu of undermining democracy and resuming strikes in Gaza without regard for hostages held there.
Yehuda Cohen is the father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli hostage still held inside Gaza.
“The accused Netanyahu wants the hostages to be dead, that way they are cheaper, they will not be valuable and will not be seen as the living hostages left behind. The situation will be that they will return in coffins, cheaply, and quietly. This is what the accused Netanyahu prefers.”
Organised by a broad coalition of anti-Netanyahu groups, protesters are also demonstrating against a recent decision to oust Ronen Bar, the head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency.
The Israeli government has also commenced proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who has challenged the legality of some of Mr Netanyahu's policies.
Following a demonstration in Tel Aviv, protesters are set to travel to Jerusalem to protest a bill that would increase political influence over the appointment of judges.
The government says reform will re-balance power in favour of lawmakers, while opponents say it will damage the system of checks and balances on the legislative and executive branches.
51-year old protester Yoram Ben Amram says an election must be held.
“It's a corrupted government. Some are literally criminals. And for the sake of the people and the country, we need to go to an election. If the government thinks that they have the people vote, go to election, let the people decide, and whoever gets the vote can run the country. But at the moment, the country is split. They keep inciting right to left and we need to put an end to it, bring the hostages back and go to elections.”
Returning to Gaza now, where Al Jazeera is reporting that Israeli strikes have killed at 13 people in separate drone attacks hitting both an aid kitchen and two refugee camps.
Israel's resumption of intense bombardment and ground invasions across Gaza shattered weeks of only limited Israeli strikes, with Hamas launching rockets days later.
As the bombardment of Gaza continues throughout Gaza, Israeli officials have issued fresh evacuation orders around Gaza City.
UN Secretary General Spokesman Stephane Dujarric says Israeli operations have displaced 142,000 people in just seven days.
“Another order was issued for neighbourhoods in Gaza City following reported rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups. These orders now cover 17 per cent of Gaza, roughly 61 square kilometres. In just one week, 142,000 people have been displaced, and that number is now expected to rise. OCHA says that with every wave of displacement, thousands of people lose not just their shelter, but also access to essentials such as food, drinking water and health care. And as a reminder that these latest directives follow repeated displacement orders between the seventh of October 2023, and January 2025, during which 90 per cent of Gaza's population was displaced at least once.”
Since the ceasefire was officially called off, the health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed at least 830 Palestinians including over 200 children, there have been no reports of Israeli casualties.
With Israel still imposing a blockade on humanitarian supplies, Mr Dujarric says it's almost impossible for humanitarian workers to operate effectively in Gaza.
“Our humanitarian partners are warning that, as a result, medical stocks, cooking gas and fuel needed to power bakeries and ambulances are running dangerously low. Prices are skyrocketing and humanitarian provisions are now being rationed, the U-N Population Fund says incubators, ultrasound devices and oxygen pumps all vital for newborns with complications remain stuck at the border.”
