Despite almost three years of hardship and devastation during the Gaza war caused by Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, calls for a mass protest on June 26 in the Strip went largely unanswered. The initiative to bring Gazans together to demonstrate against Hamas’s rule drew little public response last Friday, highlighting how years of oppression have kept most Palestinians in the Strip from expressing dissent.
“No one can imagine the level of fear and intimidation Hamas has instilled in people’s hearts since its foundation in 1987,” said one Palestinian from Gaza City. “People are simply too afraid to protest, even now after all what they’ve been through,” he told The Jerusalem Post. “This is because Hamas is still here, controlling people’s lives, and nobody can say a word,” he said.
There was widespread anticipation about whether the demonstrations, set for 4 p.m., would attract local residents, but it soon became clear that the June 26 protest failed, as almost no one showed up. “It ended in failure because there was a lot of pressure on people to keep silent,” said the Gaza resident, speaking anonymously, out of fear of reprisal. “Anyone who even considered joining the rallies refrained from doing so, as participants were labeled traitors and agents of anarchy.”
“It’s very hard to explain the scale of the security, political and social control that Hamas asserts,” he noted. “For example, social and trade associations, such as the chamber of commerce and the industry unions, are in one way or another operating under Hamas’s oversight and are subject to its authority. That means they cannot say or do what they want,” he charged. (Ed note: Still, most of Gaza votes with Hamas against Israel, and wasn't President supposed to disarm Hamas?) (Read More)
