Protesters said they were venting anger and desperation as they endure a new round of war and displacement after Israel ended a ceasefire. They leveled unusually direct criticism at Hamas even while remaining furious at Israel, the United States and others for their plight.

As the director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, I have studied public opinion in Gaza for decades and to be sure, Hamas has never in its entire history had a majority support in Gaza.