On June 18, several dozen people gathered outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, one of the Gaza Strip’s largest medical centers, to protest what they said was the lack of adequate treatment for the many wounded left by the war between Israel and the Hamas terror group, which rules the Strip.

In videos posted online, demonstrators were heard speaking out angrily against the powers that be, complaining of corruption and apathy, while carefully avoiding direct criticism of Hamas.

“Nobody cares, not even the Health Ministry,” said one amputee. “They are all thieves.”

Another protester complained of being blocked from seeking medical care abroad.

“We are not allowed to leave and we will die here, while thieves with money forge medical reports and leave,” he said. “This is not [Israel], this is the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization.”

The demonstration marked a rare public display of criticism against the governing powers in Gaza, where the Hamas terror group continues to rule the areas where nearly all of the Strip’s approximately two million residents live.

On Friday, demonstrators say they will gather again for a much larger protest against dire conditions in the largely unrehabilitated enclave, an event that organizers say will be the first significant show of public dissatisfaction against Hamas in Gaza since the war with Israel halted in October.

Since early June, anonymous social media accounts operating under the banner of the “June 26 Revolution” and apparently organized by Palestinians in Gaza and abroad have been calling on Gazans to take to the streets, seeking to build grassroots momentum.

The hospital protest was promoted by the same accounts, as a precursor to the Friday rally.

“This protest is not supported by any country, nor by the army [the IDF] or any militia,” said Hamza al-Huwaiti, a former Gazan who is backing the protests from abroad. “These are simply people who are dissatisfied with the current situation and want to change it.”

No specific time or location for the protest has been named, suggesting both wariness among organizers and hopes that sustained demonstrations will spread across the Strip.

It is unclear whether the Friday protest will include more explicit calls against Hamas and whether crowds will indeed show up, particularly due to concerns of how Hamas may react to a show of mass dissent as it looks to reassert control.

Protests against the group are uncommon in Gaza, where those speaking out are liable to be accused of collaborating with Israel and risk deadly retaliation. However, they are not unheard of.

The last major demonstrations began in March 2025, drawing hundreds to the streets in various locations every few days or weeks before the movement dissipated some two months later. At the time, Hamas downplayed the protests and described them as anti-war demonstrations.

Testimonies from inside Gaza and accounts from organizers suggest that Hamas has already begun quietly attempting to thwart the planned demonstrations.

A resident of central Gaza who spoke with The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity over fears for his safety said he plans to participate in the Friday protest, which he learned of through social media.

“This is not something new. People protested against Hamas even before October 7,” he said. “But today the situation is different. We are living........

© The Times of Israel