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The “June 26” Protest Movement in Gaza: A Direct Continuation of the “We Want to Live” Movement | An original article by Avi Melamed.
Since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip by force in 2007, Gaza has gradually evolved into a territory governed by an authoritarian terrorist regime. Hamas has violently suppressed virtually every manifestation of internal dissent while consistently prioritizing its military and ideological objectives over the welfare of the population. For years, Gaza’s residents have paid a heavy price through recurring wars, economic devastation, political isolation, and a steady deterioration in their quality of life.
The October 7, 2023 attack and the war that followed dramatically intensified these hardships. Gaza has descended into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and increasing numbers of Palestinians have begun openly criticizing Hamas’s leadership, accusing it of leading the Strip from one catastrophe to another.
Against this backdrop, the “June 26” protest movement should not be viewed as an isolated event, but rather as part of a broader and longer-term pattern of civic dissent. Its most notable predecessor was the “We Want to Live” (بدنا نعيش) movement, which emerged prior to October 7 to protest soaring living costs, poverty, and corruption under Hamas rule. That movement was also violently suppressed by Hamas’s security apparatus. Nevertheless, it laid the ideological and social foundations upon which today’s protests have emerged.
Hamas and the protest in Gaza
Hamas has responded to the challenge on two parallel fronts.
On the security front, the organization has employed intimidation, threats, and arrests. According to Palestinian reports, Hamas’s internal security apparatus—responsible for identifying collaborators and enforcing the organization’s rule—has detained activists, claiming it uncovered weapons and explosives allegedly intended for use during the demonstrations.
Simultaneously, Hamas has launched an extensive campaign to delegitimize the protests. According to the narrative promoted by Hamas, the protest movement is directed by Israeli intelligence—particularly Israel’s security agency (Shabak)—as well as by international organizations allegedly affiliated with Israel. As evidence, Hamas points to a public appeal in Arabic by former Shabak Director Avi Dichter urging Gazans to protest.
Hamas also argues that the organizers of the protests are based out of Gaza and connected to foreign intelligence or political entities It has also attempted to link the movement to the Center for Peace Communications and other organizations it characterizes as pro-Israel. Indeed, some of the activists such as Amjad Abu Kush and Ramzi Harzallah are based in Belgium. The latter was arrested by Hamas in 2016 and was tortured.
Another notable feature of Hamas’s delegitimization campaign is its effort to associate the protests with the United Arab Emirates. Hamas-affiliated media outlets and social media accounts claim that Palestinian activists critical of Hamas are operating through the Arabic media platform Jusoor (“Bridges”), which is supported by the UAE.
For example, a website known as *The Fifth Column*, which officially describes itself as an organization dedicated to “tracking down and punishing collaborators,” claims that the United Arab Emirates has transferred $100 million to militias in Gaza challenging Hamas. The site also publishes propaganda targeting Palestinian activists involved in the June 26 movement. Despite presenting itself as an independent platform, it is reasonable to assess that the website is, in fact, a Hamas propaganda outlet.
The “June 26” Protest Movement
Supporters of the protest movement insist it is an authentic grassroots movement and a direct continuation of the earlier “We Want to Live” protests. For example, Palestinian journalist Rowan al-Khatri captured the protesters’ message by saying: “We want to live—not to die. We want a life of dignity, hope, and security.”
Palestinian activists have called for allowing Gaza’s residents to demonstrate peacefully and express their grievances. Some have even urged Egypt to pressure Hamas not to suppress the protests by force.
Here’s a polished translation in a neutral, analytical style:
As anticipated, the call for mass demonstrations failed to attract widespread participation. A key factor was likely the fear of violent repression by Hamas. In a statement released by the organizers, the movement alleged that Hamas had deployed security forces and threatened protesters to deter participation. The statement emphasized that the campaign would continue despite these threats, shifting its activities to the displacement camps. Reports from Gaza indicate that most of the protests indeed took place east of the Yellow Line, in areas currently under Israeli control.
What Does the Protest Movement Tell Us?
The current protests appear, first and foremost, to represent a genuine expression of the deep frustration felt by many Gazans and their growing criticism of Hamas’s rule. They did not emerge in a vacuum. Rather, they continue a pattern of public dissent that began before October 7 under the banner of “We Want to Live”—a movement that Hamas also crushed through violence.
The severe humanitarian conditions in Gaza, coupled with the weakening of governmental institutions, have created a growing governance vacuum. As a result, local clan- and community-based groups have increasingly assumed responsibility for providing essential services and meeting basic civilian needs. At this stage, however, these developments do not indicate the emergence of an alternative political leadership or a fundamental transformation of Gaza’s governing structure.
One particularly noteworthy aspect of the protests is the gap between the official positions of many of Gaza’s major clans and tribes—which publicly support preserving “order and unity” under Hamas—and the fact that individual members of those same social networks are actively participating in the demonstrations. This contrast suggests that criticism of Hamas is spreading even within the traditional pillars of Gazan society, although it has yet to coalesce into an organized political alternative.
Gaza Protest and the West
The story of the protests in Gaza also has an important Western dimension.
Why does this matter to Western discourse? Hamas’s campaign to delegitimize the protests consistently advances the argument that “protesting is a betrayal of the resistance, and therefore the protesters are traitors.” This narrative is reinforced—intentionally or not—by segments of Western intellectual, political, cultural, and media circles that portray the concept of “resistance” in romanticized terms.
By framing “resistance” as an unquestionable moral virtue, these voices risk echoing Hamas’s own narrative, leaving little room for the voices of Gazans protesting Hamas’s rule. The result is that Hamas’ efforts to suppress internal dissent receive indirect reinforcement, while the suffering of ordinary Gazans is prolonged rather than alleviated.
Palestinian commentator Fazil al Manasfe wrote – “Hamas answers the demand, ‘We Want to Live,’ with the slogan of ‘resistance’—once again demonstrating that the well-being of Gaza’s people is not its foremost priority.”
This article is also available as a Podcast: the AiTME Podcast. This Podcast was written and created by Avi Melamed, Middle East Intelligence Analyst and Founder of Inside The Middle East [ITME], an institute dedicated to apolitical, non-partisan education about the Middle East.
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The “June 26” Protest Movement in Gaza: A Direct Continuation of the “We Want to Live” Movement | An original article by Avi Melamed.
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