Hamas Moves Quickly to Quash Gaza Protest Calls as Online Battle Intensifies

The biggest attempted protest against Hamas rule since the war began took place in Gaza over the weekend, under the banner of a local “Day of Rage” organized by residents. According to Gaza sources who spoke to ynet, Hamas security forces responded immediately and aggressively, trying to stop the unrest before it could expand.

Witnesses said armed operatives were deployed in advance near planned gathering points. In areas housing displaced people, civilian movement was restricted to prevent crowds from forming, and in some cases mobile phones were reportedly confiscated from participants or from people identified online with calls for protest. A local source in Gaza said, “The atmosphere on the ground was clearly one of pressure, and any attempt at public organization met with an immediate security presence.” Hamas supporters argued the steps were meant “to protect public order and prevent chaos during war.”

At the same time, a fierce social media dispute erupted over who organized the protests and what their aims were. Accounts associated with Hamas claimed the campaign was an organized effort to weaken the internal front in Gaza, not a grassroots uprising. The debate also centered on the term “Avichay network,” which some use to describe a network of accounts they say is trying to shape public discourse in Gaza and is allegedly taking cues from IDF Arabic spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee.

A senior Fatah official, Sami Khallaf, also joined the discussion, calling the protest calls “suspicious activity” intended, he said, to exploit the humanitarian crisis in the Strip and deepen internal division during the war. He added that responsibility for the Palestinians’ situation is not limited to Gaza and should also include the situation in the West Bank. Other users rejected those claims, saying such language is meant to silence internal criticism and distract from conditions in the Strip.