The IDF on Saturday dropped a fresh batch of leaflets throughout the Gaza Strip in its latest attempt to drive a wedge between the territory's populace and their Hamas rulers.
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The leaflets, designed as a newspaper titled "The Reality," feature on their front page a picture of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and his predecessor Khaled Mashal seated at a richly laden buffet table with the caption "Happy Ramadan" juxtaposed against another image of a Gazan family seated around a table in a dilapidated apartment accompanied by the caption "Happy Ramadan?"
The IDF has been distributing leaflets throughout the Gaza Strip since Hamas' surprise attack on October 7, calling on residents in certain areas to evacuate their homes toward designated safe zones in other parts of the Palestinian enclave. In other instances, the flyers called on Gazans to turn in Hamas terrorists or provide information on the whereabouts of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
One of the cartoons featured in the newspaper depicts another image of Ismail Haniyeh, holding a chicken leg quarter in his hands and urging Gazans to "stay strong" from his seat in Qatar.
Also featured in the caricature is senior Hamas member Osama Hamdan, who tends to hold press conferences in Lebanon, wishing for a "blessed Ramadan" from his seat in Beirut - behind microphones. In the middle, a cartoon Gazan woman appears with question marks hovering over her head.
A mock advertisement also featured in the newspaper reads, "Your Ramadan can be different if you contact us."
Amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a new group known as Gaza's Liberators has sprung up in recent weeks, handing out flyers calling for public dissent against Hamas and its leader in the territory Yahya Sinwar. These flyers, which explicitly criticize the terror group's leadership, urge Gazans to protest their circumstances.
The group has been especially active in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians have sought refuge in sprawling tent encampments, fleeing fighting elsewhere in the territory.
More and more demonstrations against Hamas are being observed in Gaza, in which participants call for the release of the captives and the cessation of hostilities, while simultaneously criticizing the leaders of the terror organization for not being affected by the war against Israel. Gaza's Liberators has disseminated videos documenting protests in the northern part of the Strip, accompanied by slogans such as "May God avenge Sinwar, the dog that destroyed Gaza."
Protests against Hamas in Gaza are becoming more frequent, with demonstrators chanting slogans demanding the release of Israeli hostages and calling for an end to the war. They are also openly criticizing the group's leaders, many of whom either live outside Gaza or remain hidden in underground tunnels.
The group Gaza's Liberators has shared videos of these protests, particularly from the northern part of the Strip, featuring slogans such as "May God take revenge on Sinwar, the one who destroyed Gaza."