HAVE THE ANTI-HAMAS PROTESTS IN GAZA MADE A DIFFERENCE?

Tales of torture and internal crackdowns in Gaza squash hopes of organized peace movements led by Palestinians.

By Jake

6 May 2025

The above screengrab is from March 25, 2025, in Northern Gaza. Dozens chant against Hamas and hold signs.

A month ago, we at ONE and many others were inspired as videos began to circulate of anti-Hamas marches and protests among Palestinians in the north of Gaza. Displaced, starving, and desperate people seemed to be rejecting their ruling party that’s clung to power since 2006. I noticed that the movement, and the stories following it, didn’t seem to stay in headlines long and follow-up is needed to determine the origin, effect, or potential future of these movements in Gaza.

I’ve written about Hamas’ rise and split from the ruling Palestinian Authority of the West Bank before, but it’s important to state now that Hamas and jihadist groups in Gaza enjoyed majority approval among the citizens of Gaza before October 7th, 2023 - but the majority also supporting maintaining the then-current ceasefire with Israel and Hamas polled low on security and quality of life issues. It’s unreasonable to think of Gazans as uniformly pro- or anti-Hamas, as it is far more accurate to imagine the population as a changing spectrum, from those hiding Hamas fighters and weapons to those bravely defending the innocent from Hamas and other looters during the current humanitarian crisis. 

The crowd at last month’s protests mirror similar movements before October 7th, none of which made a dent in Hamas’ standing. In a rare joint statement, influential family clans in Gaza declared their opposition to Israeli occupation but also to Hamas’s “unilateral decisions and ideological exclusion.” Even after months of war and their command structure being completely shattered, Hamas still organized to respond to the protests last month, shooting into the air to disperse crowds and kidnapping participants. 

One prominent figure among the activists, 22-year old Oday al-Rubai, was abducted from a refugee shelter in Gaza City in late March. His body was found hours later, covered in wounds. The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights stated al-Rubai had been tortured, calling his death "a grave violation of the right to life and an extrajudicial killing".

Before his tragic death, al-Rubai posted a video in which he expressed his fear that Hamas militants were coming for him, stating:  "Gaza has become a city of ghosts, I'm stranded in the street, not knowing where to go. I don't know why they're after me. They destroyed us and brought ruin to us."

Al-Rubai joins a terrible list of those in Gaza seeking peace, but killed by IDF assassinations or Hamas torture. For those cowards targeting peacemakers, it is a refusal to face the difficult process or reconciliation and instead perpetuate the cycle of revenge. There are few to no reports on anti-Gaza protests in the past week and no major figures or leaders publicly supported the movement on the international stage. As the IDF plans a full-scale occupation of Gaza and expulsion of its people, the chance for an organized opposition movement against Hamas may be gone for good. While the future of Gazans remains unclear, their survival and willingness to take a stand is unimaginable to those of us who live safe lives.

Want to have conversations like these? Consider joining our community discord server to join in the discussion.

Do you have feedback for this piece? Please leave a like and a comment to help support this website so more can access it.