Gazans are turning against Hamas, report shows

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]A new intelligence-backed report is pointing to a major shift inside Gaza, and it's one that could reshape the political future of the strip. According to Israeli public broadcaster Khan, growing numbers of Gazans are now expressing support for Hamas to give up its weapons because they see disarmament as a possible exit route from years of war, destruction, and instability. Now, the report cites Western intelligence findings, which indicate that backing for armed resistance has dropped significantly on the ground, while frustration with continued conflict and worsening living conditions is what is driving more people to support civilian leadership instead of militant rule. In the meantime, Hamas is still refusing to disarm as ceasefire-related negotiations remain stuck. And joining us now is Hamza Abu Haud, he's a Palestinian writer and ex-captive of Hamas. Now, Hamza, this report suggests a growing number of Gazans are supporting Hamas disarming, but from your perspective, how reflective is this of what people on the ground actually want and are feeling?

[00:01:07]Yes, thank you first for having me.

[00:01:09]Actually, this confirms many earlier reports that were talking about Hamas's popularity among the Gazans. One was by the Palestinian Center for policy and research survey, which noted in 2025 that it's uh up to 35% people who are in support of Hamas's rule over Gaza. Other polls actually mentioned that it's way less than this.

[00:01:29]And from the people that I talked to, to the friends, to the extended family that's still living inside the the Gaza Strip, it's a clear that the vast majority of the people don't want Hamas to continue in Gaza, be it in the form of a government or be it in the form of a a militia. So, the people are looking at the observing an alternative that can take Gaza in a post-war scenario or to start reconstructing the Gaza Strip.

[00:01:55]But unfortunately, all of that is being in a limbo status right now because uh of course Hamas is refusing to to disarm. And since the signing of the ceasefire, they have been trying to to fill the void. Filling the void by trying to to be literally everywhere inside Gaza in the Ministry of Economy, in the police, in the Interior Ministry.

[00:02:15]So, they are trying to fill the void because there is literally no one doing that inside Gaza. There is no security situation inside Gaza. Rivalry between the families or rivalry between the pro-Hamas and anti-Hamas militias.

[00:02:28]On the other hand, Hamas tends to justify its position by mentioning the fact that uh the Israeli government did not did not submit fully to the first phase of the ceasefire. I'm talking about uh the entry of the humanitarian aid the numbers agreed on on the on the Trump's 20-point peace plan or uh the fact that some of the air strikes are continuing inside Gaza or that the army is moving beyond the yellow line.

[00:02:54]So, it's a kind of a stalemate situation.

[00:02:57]The people don't want Hamas and they're looking for an alternative. The alternative is be is being represented by the technocratic committee right now who are stuck in Egypt, did not enter Gaza. Mhm. And no one actually have an answer on how this situation is going to be solved.

[00:03:12]If Hamas continues to refuse to disarm while this public sentiment is shifting, what do you think that that means for the future legitimacy and control inside Gaza? And do you think there's a chance that we could see an uprising of sorts among ordinary Gazans?

[00:03:29]If Hamas continues to disarm, I I I cannot see say that I that I can see a future for the Gaza Strip be it in the kind of reconstructing or rebuilding the Gaza Strip because no donor country will be willing to pay a single penny to to rebuild Gaza while Hamas is being this while Hamas is armed or while or while Hamas is empowered inside Gaza because we all know where the money is going to go if Hamas was was in control of the reconstruction money. This is one thing.

[00:03:56]Talking about the society, I cannot expect the society to do much because the society is exhausted is exhausted of of more than 2 years of war exhausted of the past starvation, the displacement, and living in tents, and they are empty-handed. I wouldn't say that it's the responsibility of the society to to to to disarm Hamas.

[00:04:16]I suppose it's the the responsibility of the police of the new technocratic committee to to do such a job. Unfortunately, the the technocratic committee issued a statement saying that in a way or another that this is not our job and our job is just to maintain the situation of the the the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip.

[00:04:36]Personally, I think they should be responsible for such a thing and disarm Hamas and for these arms to to be uh to be sold with an Arab country be it Egypt or any other country. This is one thing. If if if But, if the technocratic committee is not willing to do that and uh we are moving towards a a renewal scenario of the war, I would say that the best idea to think about is to enhance the situation in the areas beyond the low line. So, in case anything having this is the society can be moved to these areas so we don't see the same level of a humanitarian suffering that we saw during the war.

[00:05:15]I'm interested to hear, you know, from those who you are speaking to on the ground, what do they say they want to see happen next? Because obviously what you're painting here is a picture in which it appears that Hamas will not be disarmed unless you said, you know, there is a technocratic, you know, police force that comes in and actually makes that happen. So, what are the expectations of those on the ground? How do they expect to see this happen?

[00:05:41]The expectation from the people is to see the disarmament happening by whether it's a a Palestinian hand or an Arab society. They do not expect it to be done by the Israeli side. They actually do not trust it to to start with and they fully understand that if this is going to be done through a military escalation or the use of force by the the Israeli army, of course, the civilians will pay uh will pay the price of this. And as I said at the beginning, the society is extremely exhausted of of this war and they are not ready to to enter a new phase of of uh of military military escalation or a war between between Hamas and Israel. On the other hand, they are also navigating away or do not want to to go back to the October 6 scenario where Hamas is is in control of everything inside the Gaza Strip and they just preparing for a new military escalation or preparing for a new war that can take 5 or 7 years and then we will go back to the same to the same line again. So, the society wants this to be done whether by a Palestinian hand or they they would accept accepted in a less way by by some force of of of the Arab countries.

[00:06:50]Interesting. All right. Well, Hamza, I'd like to thank you so much for joining us. As per usual, really fascinating to hear your perspective and to hear what you're hearing from those who are on the ground.