Moumen al-Natour

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Moumen Raja Yacoub Al-Natour (born 12 December 1995) is a Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist. He is The main organizer of the We Want to Live movement, a movement based in the Gaza Strip which has opposed the region's Hamas-controlled government since 2019. [1] Al-Natour founded Palestinian Youth for Development in 2023.

Contents

Activism

In March 2019, Al-Natour was the main organizer of the 14th March Movement, which protested Hamas and the economic conditions of the Gaza Strip. [2] The protests were the largest since 2007, when Hamas took control of the region. [2] During the protests, Hamas broke into Al-Natour's home, threatened his family, confiscated cell phones, and threatened to arrest people unless Al-Natour gave himself up. [3] [4] He was subsequently arrested and charged with collaborating with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. [4] He was arrested again in May and in August 2019. [5] [6] [7]

Since 2019, Al-Natour has been involved in the related We Want to Live Movement. [1] He has been involved with protests calling for elections and opportunities for youth in the Gaza Strip. [8]

Al-Natour has been arrested and imprisoned by Hamas 20 times, for his criticism of the group and his attempts to organize protests. [1] [9] While imprisoned, Al-Natour reported being tortured. [1] [9]

Al-Natour has also represented journalists who have been arrested for their criticism of Hamas. [1] Although he is often unable to help those arrested in court, he amplifies their stories on social media, where mass pressure has sometimes led to their releases. [1] Al-Natour has also represented women trying to get out of forced and abusive marriages. [10]

During the Israel-Hamas war, Al-Natour has worked to collect and distribute aid to Palestinians in need. He has expressed doubt that the war would be able to destroy Hamas completely. He supports a postwar leadership model that would center Palestinians from the region who are critical of Hamas, rather than outside aid groups. [9]

Personal life

Mr. Al-Natour and his family live in Al-Shati refugee camp, in central Gaza, but were displaced to southern Gaza in late 2023 due to the Israel-Hamas war. [1] [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sharhani, Yaghoub (2023-11-01). "De meeste Gazanen zijn klaar met de dictatuur van Hamas". De Groene Amsterdammer (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  2. 1 2 Knell, Yolande (2019-03-18). "Gaza economic protests expose cracks in Hamas's rule". BBC. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  3. ↑ "مساواة تستنكر ملاحقة الزميل المحامي مؤمن الناطور والنشطاء والحقوقيين/ات في غزة" [MUSAWA denounces the Hamas security services’ attacks on peaceful gatherings in Gaza and their persecution of activists and human rights activists.]. musawa.ps (in Arabic). 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  4. 1 2 "!التهمة.. إنك بدك تعيش" [The accusation...is that you want to live!]. Al-Arabiya (in Arabic). 2023-01-23.
  5. ↑ "جهاز الأمن الداخلي في محافظة غزة يحتجز المحامي مؤمن الناطور" [The Internal Security Service in the Gaza Governorate detains lawyer Moamen Al-Natour]. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (in Arabic). 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  6. ↑ "جهاز الأمن الداخلي في محافظة غزة يحتجز المحامي مؤمن الناطور" [The Internal Security Service in the Gaza Governorate detains lawyer Moamen Al-Natour]. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (in Arabic). 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  7. ↑ ""حماس" تشن حملة اعتقالات ضد نشطاء في غزة" [Hamas launches an arrest campaign against activists in Gaza]. Al Ain (in Arabic). 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  8. ↑ Bashir, Fatima (2021-03-06). "هل تصدق الانتخابات وينتهي كابوس العاطلين عن العمل" [Can you believe the elections and end the nightmare of the unemployed?]. Al Shabab Radio (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  9. 1 2 3 Weinthal, Benjamin (2023-12-14). "Young generation of anti-Hamas activists in Gaza step up to serve but are snubbed by UN, aid groups". Fox News. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  10. ↑ Arafat, Amjad (2021-09-26). "عذّبها ابن عمها كأسيرة حرب... لعنة ميراث الأب في غزة" [Her cousin tortured her as a prisoner of war...the curse of the “father’s inheritance” in Gaza]. Raseef22 (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  11. ↑ Badr Saffarini, Buthaina (2023-10-15). "القصص لا تكتمل.. شهادات متقطّعة من غزة" [Stories are not complete... intermittent testimonies from Gaza]. Ultra Palestine (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
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