Ref: 79/2023
Date: 31 July 2023
Time: 13:00 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) attentively follows up the events accompanying the peaceful protests that took to streets yesterday across the Gaza Strip governorates. The protests were organized against the deteriorating living conditions due to the 16-year-old Palestinian political division, especially power outages, unemployment, and the closure. Although those protests were considerably peaceful and took place quietly, and the protestors expressed their demands and spoke out to the decision-makers, PCHR documented many incidents where police and security officers dispersed, beat up and arrested the protesters. There were also acts of violence that inflicted many injuries in some of those protests as they were met with pro-Hamas protests.
According to PCHR’s follow-up in the field on Sunday evening, 30 July 2023, peaceful protests took to the streets across the Gaza Strip governorates upon calls from activists affiliated with “We Want to Live” movement active on social media to protest the difficult living conditions in the Gaza Strip, especially in light of the triggered electricity blackouts. Thousands of citizens, especially youths, participated in the protests and called upon the two parties to the division to solve the electricity crisis and respond to their demands. Those protests coincided with the convening of a conference for the Palestinian factions’ secretaries-general in Cairo at the invitation of the Palestinian President to explore avenues to put an end for the division.
Simultaneously, protests took to streets all over the Gaza Strip’s governorates and went quietly. Those protests were peaceful in some governorates as the protestors spoke out and expressed their demands in a civilized manner while neither violent acts nor law enforcement officers’ intervention to disperse the protests was reported. However, PCHR documented separate incidents, where the police and security officers intervened, dispersed, beat up, and arrested some of the protestors.
In northern Gaza, dozens of citizens gathered in al-Trans area in Jabalia refugee camp to participate in the peaceful protest. At the same time, many Pro-Hamas activists and security officers in plainclothes were present, some of them were raising Hamas flags in an attempt to change the protest’s demands. Afterwards, altercations occurred with the protestors and then developed into assaults on some of them, including attacking journalist Waleed ‘Abed al-Rahman, Member of the General Secretariat of the Journalists Syndicate, as he was covering the peaceful assembly.
In Gaza City, many citizens gathered in the center of the Unknown Soldier’s Square, where a Palestinian police force arrived, arrested 4 persons and put them in an SUV to al-Jawazat Headquarters. The arrestees were released before entering the headquarters. At the same time, many persons gathered at al-Shuja’iyia intersection in Gaza City, where police arrived and dispersed and chased the protestors.
In Khan Yunis, dozens of protestors gathered near Jaser building’s intersection and chanted slogans demanding end of the electricity and unemployment crisis. Simultaneously, another peaceful assembly was taking place at Bani Suhila Square. Hundreds of protestors gathered near Jaser building and made their way towards the city’s streets and then towards Abu Humaid Square in central Khan Yunis. Meanwhile, several Pro-Hamas activists gathered and organized another protest at Abu Humaid Square as well; as a result, altercations erupted between the protestors and Hamas supporters. Afterwards, individuals in plainclothes believed to be police and security officers intervened and detained some of the protestors. The altercations then developed into a stone-throwing between the Hamas supporters and protesters, as the latter set tires ablaze, causing some injuries.
In Rafah, hundreds of young men participated in a peaceful protest at al-Shuhada Square (known before as al-Nijma). When the protestors were on their way to the Square, altercations occurred with pro-Hamas activists in the area. As a result, 3 persons sustained injuries and bruises and were evacuated to the hospital. After they received treatment at the hospital, they were arrested by the police and brought before Rafah Public Prosecutor as they were accused of inciting riots.
PCHR emphasizes that freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and political participation are guaranteed by the Palestinian Basic Law, particularly Articles 19 and 26, and shall not be prejudiced under any pretext.
PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to investigate the events that accompanied some of the peaceful protests, including the violent acts in Khan Yunis and the assault on journalist Waleed Abed al-Rahman, Member of the General Secretariat of the Journalists Syndicate.
PCHR also urges the competent authorities to take the necessary measures to cease such attacks and respect citizens’ public freedoms that are constitutionally guaranteed in accordance with international human rights standards.