But as the date approached, Hamas operatives began issuing threats against Gazans considering taking part in the protests, which may well have impacted turnout.<\/p>\n
Footage appeared to show protesters carrying signs reading, \u201cGod willing, Hamas out,\u201d \u201cWe are not pawns,\u201d and \u201cWe want to live.\u201d In one video, chants of \u201cEnough with the destruction\u201d (of Gaza) could be heard.<\/p>\n
It was unclear where exactly in the Strip the protests were taking place.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Other footage appeared to show armed Hamas operatives deployed in the streets to prevent demonstrations.<\/p>\n HORRIFIC: Hamas militias are deploying their armed, masked men into the streets across the Gaza Strip to crush the protests. pic.twitter.com\/PbtAmnJ1jO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) June 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n None of the footage could be easily verified, and it was not published by the major media outlets in Gaza, which are affiliated with Hamas.\n<\/p>\n Earlier this week, several Gaza residents told The Times of Israel that Hamas had warned journalists in Gaza not to cover the protests.<\/p>\n Instead, major Gazan outlets on Friday published footage showing empty intersections where protests had allegedly been planned, declaring the \u201cFailure of the June 26 Revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n A resident of central Gaza confirmed to The Times of Israel that masked men affiliated with Hamas had been present in the streets of Deir al-Balah to prevent protesters from gathering.<\/p>\n He also said a small number of people took part in anti-Hamas demonstrations in Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza, while people stayed home in central Gaza amid Hamas warnings on social media against participating in the rallies.<\/p>\n The resident asked not to be named due to concerns for his safety.<\/p>\n \u063a\u0632\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0635\u0648\u062a \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0627\u0628\u0636 pic.twitter.com\/egqcX2wMAt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0627\u0634\u0637 \u062d\u0645\u0632\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0635\u0631\u064a (@hamza198708) June 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A Facebook page titled \u201cJune 26 Revolution\u201d had called for demonstrations at 18 different locations across the Strip.\n<\/p>\n The day\u2019s events marked the first organized anti-Hamas protests in Gaza since a wave of demonstrations in the spring and summer of 2025.<\/p>\n One of the protest\u2019s organizers, Abd al-Hamid Abd al-Ati, a Gazan currently living in Cairo, wrote on his Facebook account that \u201cperhaps the June 26 movement did not achieve all that we had hoped for, but the message was delivered, and the cause for which people took to the streets remains alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Under a US-brokered 20-point plan to end the war which began with Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Hamas is to disarm and hand over power to a transitional authority, paving the way for an Israeli military pullback and the rebuilding of the enclave, which suffered extensive destruction during the fighting.<\/p>\n However, those plans have yet to move beyond the initial ceasefire stage due to Hamas\u2019s refusal to give up its weapons and other disagreements over implementation.<\/p>\n Though badly battered, Hamas has maintained enough strength to exercise control over the part of the Strip that the IDF has pulled back from, cementing its hold by\u00a0executing<\/a>\u00a0opponents and others it views as threatening its rule, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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