Hamas cancels public holiday on international women’s day

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip cancel plans to give students a day off on Wednesday for international women’s day.

The internationally backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has declared women’s day a public holiday.

But the Islamic militant Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for the past decade, says Sunday it will not obey the order. Wednesday will be a normal work day and schools will be open, it says, though the first hour of classes will include discussions about women’s role in the Palestinian national struggle.

Under the group’s rule, Gazan society has grown increasingly conservative, with Hamas imposing a dress code on female lawyers, principals harassing students who don’t wear headscarves and occasionally women being banned from smoking in cafes.

— AP

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