Hamas security forces attacked houses in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Nasr in the Gaza Strip, fired in people’s direction, and arrested many. 

Videos and photos from the villagers populated social media and showed Hamas security forces using excessive force against young men, who were protesting and threw stones at security forces in response to an attempt to demolish one of the houses. The security forces fired on the men and injured some of them.

Umm al-Nasr is located in the far north of the Gaza Strip, near the border with Israel. It is considered one of the largest Bedouin population hubs in the district, with more than 5,000 people living on ​​800 dunams (about 200 acres). For many years, the villagers lived in unsafe houses made of tin and timber, and the government in Gaza prevented them from building concrete houses on the grounds that they did not own the land.

Human rights and civil society organizations condemned Hamas’ attack on the villagers. The Independent Commission for Human Rights in Gaza denounced the excessive use of force by Hamas members, in addition to the destruction of the villagers’ homes. The organizations called for the immediate release of all detainees, and the repair of the damage caused by the security forces.