The protests in Gaza against Hamas raise important questions about their authenticity. Are they genuinely a sign of civil opposition to the regime, or are they a tactic by Hamas to project an image of democracy? We explored this issue with Oded Eilam, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs and the former head of the Counter-Terrorism Division at the Mossad.
Eilam suggests that these protests reflect both an authentic response and a potential strategic move. “On the one hand, there is an authentic element, mainly because of the military pressure that Israel is again applying. The Gazans have gotten used to a time of relative quiet, especially during Ramadan, which leads to a certain feeling of well-being with tables full of good things. However, the end of the humanitarian aid, even if there isn’t a total shortage, since a lot of supplies are in Hamas’s storehouses, there has been an increase in food prices and a feeling of distress on the Gazan street.”
Despite this, Eilam emphasizes that the protests should not be seen as a sudden shift toward support for Israel. “There isn’t suddenly support for Israel. An authentic survey will find that most of the population supports the idea of resistance, Jihad, and Hamas. Only a few would condemn the October 7th Massacre morally or religiously. At most, they will complain about the result – the destruction of Gaza and the consequences of the war. And yet, there is the beginning of a recognition that the current situation is a dead end. The Gazan public hears the Arab League, which associates the reconstruction of Gaza to the weakening of Hamas and notices the weakness of the organization which has been hit hard and is unsuccessful at terrorizing as it has in the past.”
Eilam points out that Hamas has an internal enforcement unit, similar to the Gestapo in Nazi Germany, tasked with dealing with collaborators, political adversaries, looters, and even demonstrators. “The members of this unit have not yet operated completely but are expected to deal with the protesters. It is unclear if it will be effective, but it is a real threat to the protest movement.”
Despite the risks involved, Eilam believes that Israel should openly support the protests. “There are those in the government and military who believe that Israel must avoid getting involved so that the protesters aren’t seen as collaborators. That is a severe mistake. Israel must adopt a clear stance: ‘We are with you.’ We can not repeat Obama’s mistake when he didn’t support the protesters in Iran in 2009. If there had been outside involvement, the Iranian regime may have fallen. Today, too, Israel can and must signal, through diplomatic, media, and secret means, that it supports the protesters.”
Eilam is not naive about the complexities of shifting public opinion in Gaza. “They will continue to hate us, but opportunism will win. Therefore, we have to encourage this uprising from Beit Lahia to Rafah. This is likely a one-time chance that will disappear within two weeks if it doesn’t get outside support. Hamas is likely to suppress it violently, by shooting at their knees as the Iranians did or as Edogan is doing now against the protesters in Turkey.”
He also highlights the role of media in shaping the narrative. Social media platforms in Gaza, along with Al Jazeera, often portray the protests as opposition to the war in general rather than to Hamas itself. “In the face of this trend,” Eilam says, “We need to give international legitimacy to the protest, to echo it, and to strengthen it, both covertly and overtly – to sway the public to a wider movement.”
Eilam also sees a military component in the situation. “The more Israel escalates its actions against Hamas leadership and shows the weakness of the leadership in Gaza, the chance that the Gazans would dare to protest will grow. The elimination of key figures impacts the hesitation of the simple civilian. The more he sees the Hamas leadership falling apart, the easier it will be for him to overcome the fear and join [the protests]. This military action has clear civilian and political value as well.”

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