Fatah spokesperson in the Gaza Strip, Munther Al-Hayek, has called on Hamas to listen to the voice of the Palestinian people and step down from governance in the coastal enclave. He urged the movement to allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to assume their responsibilities toward Gaza’s population.

In remarks to the press, Al-Hayek said that “the continued presence of Hamas has become a danger to the Palestinian cause,” and called on the group’s leadership to reassess its position and listen to the public outcry from within Gaza, demanding an end to the war and improved conditions for civilians whom he described as “devastated and exhausted.”

His comments come in the wake of mass protests in Gaza — the largest of their kind since the start of the war on October 7, 2023 — in which hundreds of demonstrators called for an end to the war and for Hamas to relinquish power. The rare show of dissent poses a significant challenge to the group, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.

Al-Hayek noted that local tribal leaders and community elders had previously called on Hamas to exit the political scene, but the movement had failed to respond. “Now the people of Gaza are making that demand again, so they don’t have to offer up their children as sacrifices for Hamas’s narrow partisan interests,” he said.

As of now, Hamas has not issued an official response to Al-Hayek’s statement or to the recent wave of protests.