Gaza Protest Leader to Trump: ‘Talk to Us, Not Hamas’
In an exclusive interview with The Media Line, The Media Line’s Felice Friedson and Ahmed Abd al-Salam speak with Moumen al-Natour, the 29-year-old Gazan lawyer and leader of the We Want to Live movement, who has become a prominent voice against Hamas. Al-Natour, a former political prisoner repeatedly jailed by the group, urges President Donald Trump and the international community to speak directly with Gaza’s civil society and to distinguish civilians from Hamas.
He recounts the severe repression of protesters in 2019, when over 1,000 demonstrators were detained, and again in 2024, when protests renewed. Al-Natour says Hamas represents a minority and has hijacked Gaza’s future. He supports the return of hostages and condemns the October 7 attacks as immoral and counterproductive. The war, he believes, has only brought devastation, with tens of thousands dead and no path to victory.
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Al-Natour paints a bleak picture of life in Gaza—collapsed infrastructure, suspended education, a crumbling health system, and unaffordable necessities like flour. His movement, once offering aid to struggling families, has suspended operations due to the ongoing blockade. Yet he remains defiant, calling for peace, justice, and the separation of Hamas from Gaza’s civilians. “Gazans are not Hamas,” he insists, repeating his plea for international actors to hear the voices of Gaza’s people directly.
Despite danger to his own life, al-Natour presses forward, advocating for a Gaza led by justice and coexistence with Israel. Read the full story and watch the video report for more on al-Natour’s mission, his criticisms of Hamas, and his appeal for a future free of extremism and war.
