March of Return: How Did the Protests Evolve and Why Do They Attract Palestinians?

Palestinians have been demonstrating to make Israel lift a blockade it imposed on the Gaza Strip in 2007 and direct attention to the dire economic conditions in the enclave.

Four years ago, on 30 March, Israel became acquainted with a new type of a challenge -- the March of Return Protests that kicked off following then-US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital.

Every Friday, thousands of Palestinians would take to the fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel. They were calling on the Israeli authorities to let refugees go back to the lands they were displaced from in 1948 and they raised their voice against the tight Israeli blockade that has been in place since 2007, when Hamas, an Islamic group designated as terrorist by Israel, took control of the enclave.

Drawing Attention to Economic Hardships

Mohammed Al-Ashram, a 28-year-old Palestinian from Gaza, was one of those, who took part in the weekly protests.

"I wanted to let Israelis and the international community know that I wanted to live in peace. I was also hoping it would raise awareness about the dire economic situation in the Strip and the fact that we barely have any money to feed our families," he recalled.

Since 2007, Israel has kept the Gaza Strip under siege, restricting the movement of people and goods. Additionally, it revoked the work permits of the thousands of Palestinians who used to work inside Israel, fearing terrorists would use them to infiltrate the Jewish state.

Those measures have had devastating effects on the Gaza Strip and its residents. In 2018, unemployment in the enclave reached 52 percent, an almost eight percent spike from what was registered a year earlier, and more than 20 percent increase since 2007. Some 53 percent of respondents lived in poverty.

Tensions were brewing and Al-Ashram says people were looking to give their frustration an outlet. In that sense, the March of Return protests served as a perfect platform, and Hamas has been encouraging people to go to the fence and vent their anger.

No More Rallies

Al-Ashram was convinced by their calls. But in September 2019, when an Israeli soldier shot him in the leg, the activist stopped participating in those protests. He felt angry at Hamas for using him, and thousands of others, as a "pressure tool".

"When I became disabled, Hamas left me, and many other like me, face-to-face with our problems. They didn't provide me with medical assistance. Nor did they help me with any employment opportunities or financial aid," he lamented.

For Hamas, says Al-Ashram, those protests were needed to get concessions from Israel. They were hoping that following the demonstrations, the international community would force officials in Jerusalem to ease their restrictions and lift their siege.

When some of those restrictions were lifted, and Israel started giving out work permits to Gazans, protests dwindled, until they ceased completely in 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

Now, four years after the demonstrations that left more than 200 Palestinians dead and thousands of others injured, the Gaza Strip seems to be quiet.

On Wednesday, Hamas marked the occasion that coincided with the Palestinians' Land Day with a concert and a mass meeting of their supporters. Few took to the sea on boats as a new form of the March of Return protests. Nobody has gotten close to the fence separating Gaza from Israel.

"They are no longer calling for these protests but even if they do, I won't be taking part in them. Nor will I encourage others to do so. I don't want to be a tool in their hands again."