Certain Gazans are growing frustrated with Hamas, over delays in ending the war that has destroyed so many lives.
Some Gazans have criticized Hamas, which rules the besieged Palestinian territory, for failing to end the war with Israel that has devastated their lives.
Hamas has “led the Palestinian people into a war of annihilation”, said Umm Ala, 67.
“If the Hamas leaders were interested in ending this war and ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, they would have agreed (to a deal),” added Umm Ala, who has now sought refuge in Khan Younis.
Gazans who spoke to AFP were asked if they thought that Hamas was also responsible for delays in reaching a new truce.
Mediators are once again engaged in negotiations with Israel and Hamas to try to finalize a deal to end the war.
But some Gazans, who have lived in a climate of fear and restrictions since Hamas seized power in the territory in 2007, blame the Islamists for the vast destruction caused by the war.
Hamas has made a “mockery of us, our pain and the destruction of our lives”, said Abu Eyad, 55, who lives in north Gaza.
Abu Eyad, took aim at Hamas’s political leadership hosted by Qatar, saying they were “sleeping comfortably, eating and drinking”.
“Have you ever tried to actually live our lives today?” Abu Eyad asked. “Did you know that many times we don’t find any food at all?”
‘Destruction, extermination’
Israel and Hamas are once again trading blame, just as they accused each other of derailing previous attempts at ending the war.
“We are tired, we are dead, we are destroyed and our tragedies are countless,” said Abu Shaker, 35.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked, addressing the militant group. “What do you want? The war must end at any cost. We cannot bear it any longer.”
Despite such criticism, a survey has shown Hamas to be the most popular political force in the Palestinian territories with 40 percent preference, followed by 20 percent for Fatah.
The poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research released on Wednesday also said that “overall support for the October 7 Hamas offensive remains high”, albeit with a slight decline in Gaza.
At the beginning of May, Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire agreement, prompting spontaneous celebrations in Gaza.
The survey showed that two-thirds of those asked supported Hamas’s decision at the time and expected a halt in fighting within days — only to be disappointed.
Now the Gazans AFP spoke to are desperate, and all they want is an end to the conflict.
With AFP
