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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-great-return.html
Hamas Sees Gaza Protests as a Deadly Weapon
(New York Times) David M. Halbfinger - The Palestinian Great Return March, a campaign now in its third week, demands the right to return to lands in Israel. While organizers promised peaceful disobedience, participants have thrown Molotov cocktails and other explosives, even attaching one to a kite. A month or two ago, Hamas was cornered, isolated regionally, and riven by internal disputes. After a decade running Gaza, Hamas was growing deeply unpopular. "A lot of Palestinians would just do away with all of Hamas to have a better life," said Tareq Baconi, author of Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. By embracing the protests, Hamas cannily aligned itself with a popular movement. Instantly, the Palestinian cause and the crisis in Gaza were back in the news.