United Nations Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov on Sunday condemned Gaza's Hamas rulers for violently cracking down on popular protests over the past few days.
Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for Middle East peace, said he was especially alarmed by the "brutal beating of journalists and staff from the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) and the raiding of homes."
Driven by Hamas tax hikes and the desperation of living under Egyptian-Israeli blockade, hundreds of Palestinians have rallied under the slogan "We want to live" to protest the rising cost of living in the coastal enclave.
Cellular phone videos posted on social media also showed Hamas security forces beating protesters with clubs, and gunshots could be heard.
"The long-suffering people of Gaza" have a right to protest "the dire economic situation" without fear of reprisal, Mladenov said.
"I strongly condemn the campaign of arrests and violence used by Hamas security forces against protesters, including women and children, in Gaza over the past three days," he added.
Rights groups in Gaza said several of their employees were beaten or detained by Hamas police while monitoring the protests.
Organizers of the demonstrations, who have kept their identities hidden from the public, said in a statement that protesters were exercising their right to freedom of expression under Palestinian law.
Tahseen Astal, a member of the Gaza Journalists' Syndicate, said Hamas forces had assaulted dozens of local Palestinian journalists and four were hospitalized for their injuries. He said Hamas police had raided journalists' homes following their posts on social media and that seven remained in custody.
Most of Gaza's two million people live in poverty. Its economy has been impacted by blockades by Israel and Egypt – with both countries citing security concerns – and disputes between Hamas and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.
Hamas has accused the security services of the rival Fatah movement, the main faction in the Palestinian Authority, of masterminding the protests in an attempt to weaken it. Fatah officials have denied the allegation.
The Palestinian Authority has been imposing economic sanctions in Gaza to try to force Hamas, which seized the enclave in 2007, to implement a power-sharing agreement.
In a bid to boost Hamas government revenues, Gaza's economy ministry slapped additional fees on imports, leading to a hike in food prices, a local economist said.
