The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has cancelled a public holiday to celebrate International Women’s Day, which takes place on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Authority issued the holiday declaration, which included a day off from school, from its capital in Ramallah. But Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since conquering it in a coup nearly ten years ago, refused to implement the measure.

Wednesday is expected to be a normal work day and schools will be open, though the first hour of classes will include “discussions about women’s role in the Palestinian national struggle,” the Associated Press reported.

The AP added that since Hamas took over the Strip, “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 banning women from smoking in cafes.”

In recent weeks, Hamas has twice rejected Israeli offers that could have improved life for residents of Gaza, refusing to demilitarize or release hostages in exchange for infrastructure investments, the creation of an industrial zone, and freer movement into Israel.

[Photo: FRANCE 24 English / YouTube ]