Hamas has controlled Gaza since seizing it from Fatah-aligned PA forces in 2007, and no new legislative election has followed. Its security services have used arrests and force against public critics: during the March 2019 “We Want to Live” demonstrations, Hamas authorities detained more than 1,000 people, according to the Independent Commission for Human Rights, as documented by Human Rights Watch.
Arrests during the “We Want to Live” protests
The demonstrations challenged Hamas rule amid public anger over living costs and taxes. Human Rights Watch reported that detainees included 23 journalists and five human-rights workers who were documenting abuses. The group said Hamas security forces used excessive force and that some detainees were tortured.
Journalists were directly targeted while covering the protests. The Times of Israel’s report on detained reporters describes the arrest and beating of journalists, including freelance photojournalist Osama al-Kahlout, who was held for four days after covering demonstrations.
Security forces shielded from accountability
Human Rights Watch said that from January 2018 through March 2019, Gaza courts convicted no officers for arbitrary arrest, mistreatment, or torture, citing figures from the Hamas-led Interior Ministry. It also documented the repeated detention of activist Amer Balousha over criticism of Hamas, including detention related to a social-media post.
These cases show how Hamas has used its security apparatus against protest, independent reporting, and online criticism. Hamas’s takeover established its control of Gaza’s institutions; its political and economic power is also sustained through taxes and control of commerce, described in the page on revenue, aid, and trade.