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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/10/world/middleeast/airstrikes-gaza-school-shelters-hamas.html
Unwilling to Be Human Shields, Some Gazans Turn Gunmen Away from Shelters
(New York Times) Bilal Shbair - When the war forced Nasser al-Zaanin to flee his home in northern Gaza in October, he, along with his adult sons and grandchildren, moved to a school in Deir al Balah that had been turned into a shelter. He helped set up a system of committees that oversaw food, water and medical needs. They had one red line: No armed men were allowed in the compound. Residents wanted to avoid becoming a target for Israeli forces hunting down Hamas militants. Early in the conflict, Hamas had wanted to station police officers at the compound, but Zaanin said the residents had gathered to stop that. "All the families agreed." Several other residents of school shelters in central Gaza recounted similar stories. "We will quickly kick anyone who has a gun or a rifle out of this school," said Saleh al-Kafarneh, 62, who lives at another government school in Deir al Balah and said he locked the gates at night. "We don't allow anyone to ruin life here, or cause any strike against those civilians and families." The residents' testimonies also suggested that Hamas's grip on the enclave may be weakened by the war and that ad hoc community groups are starting to operate outside its control.