‘We want to live’: Palestinians in Gaza protest against Hamas | Israel-Palestine War News

Gaza City, Gaza Strip There have been mixed feelings among Palestinians in Gaza about the election of Khalil al-Hayya as the leader of Hamas, and how this development will affect their lives.

Al-Hayya won an internal election against former Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal this week.

For many, the announcement was overshadowed by immediate concerns, especially a decent and decent home, access to food, access to clean water and surviving another day of war.

Noman Saleh, 63, lost his factory during the Israeli occupation of Gaza, which has changed all aspects of his life.

“People here are suffering, people are hungry, humiliated, who is standing with the people these days, nobody,” said Saleh.

“I criticize all (political) groups. If there are groups, there is failure. The purpose of the country should not be used so that organizations serve themselves.”

Gaza was nearly destroyed in the Israeli war, starting on October 7, 2023.

Israel’s siege of Gaza has also left Palestinians stranded and unable to access basic necessities.

“Whether al-Hayya wins or someone else wins, it makes no difference to us,” Saleh said. “We want someone who is loyal to the country, honest, who believes in the people who live in this.”

A generation focused on survival

Ali Abu Amshi, 28, lost 22 of his family members – including his mother, father and brother – and was displaced from his home in Gaza City during the war.

He said the suffering he and others in Gaza have endured since October 2023 has made political questions lower the list of people’s problems.

“These stories do not make a difference to us. We want to live. We want to cross to reopen, we want to eat, drink and live a normal life,” he told Al Jazeera.

“We don’t want to keep asking who will lead us, who will be elected, or who will govern us.

He said this is not related to politics, but to solve the problems faced by ordinary people.

“The war was very difficult. I lost loved ones. I feel like I’m dead, but I’m still alive,” said Abu Amsha.

“We return to the same pains, the same wars, every year, if they can feed us, give us water, help us live a dignified life, that’s all we ask.

Look at Gaza today, the streets are full of garbage. Is this life? Of course not. We hope things will change.

Continued message

However, Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Haniyeh saw Khalil al-Hayya’s election as an important political message from Hamas. Basically, it shows the group’s decision to continue its leadership and politics, he said.

“The importance of electing Khalil al-Hayya at this point is that Israel considers him to be one of the remaining candidates for the elections after October 7,” Haniyeh told Al Jazeera.

“By choosing him, Hamas is sending a message that it will not distance itself from October 7 and still sees it as part of its strategy.”

Although Hamas has shown political flexibility during this period, it has not lost its focus on resisting Israel.

The internal election of Hamas, Haniyeh said, should be seen within the context of Palestinian politics, including the preparation of possible elections, which could lead to more politics.

“The Palestinian people will have more space to choose the political leadership that represents them,” he said.

After almost two decades of ruling the Gaza Strip, Hamas has already announced that it will dissolve its government and hand over power to a new, professional Palestinian Authority.

This comes as the US-backed peace process, which led to the cancellation of elections last year, has been suspended and Israel’s reaction. the explosion of the Strip it continues regardless.

Hamas said it would transfer power to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) – a technical committee run by Palestinians with the help of the United Nations as part of the US ceasefire.

The National Committee to Monitor Gaza (NCAG) was made in January 2026 under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 as part of the 20-year peace process supported by the US to end Israel’s war in Gaza.

It is a revolutionary organization led by Palestinian technocrats, including Acting Commissioner Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath, who is seen as neutral and neutral.

However, Israel has still not allowed members of the committee to enter the Gaza Strip. The committee is temporarily in Cairo.

The problem of trust

For many people in the Gaza Strip, hopes for peace and stability are still very real.

A political expert in Gaza, Mustafa Ibrahim, said that the results of the internal elections of Hamas showed a deep tension between the Palestinian people and the political parties.

Years of Israeli bombardment and forced displacement have led many to turn against Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.

“Many people no longer see Hamas as having a political future, and other means of support that would prevent the group from having a role in Gaza’s governance or leadership,” Ibrahim said.

Unless political change turns into a reality in Gaza, many Palestinians will see Hamas’s decisions as far removed from their daily struggles.

“People want the war to end,” Ibrahim said. “If he was given a choice between new elections that bring together different politicians and parties, or to solve the problems he is facing, he would choose to end the war.”

“The question people are asking is not who was elected as the political leader; they want to know the decisions that this leadership will take to end the war, reach an agreement and change the reality.”