The organizers of the planned anti-Hamas 'June 26 Revolution' protests in Gaza acknowledged on Friday that the demonstrations failed to achieve their goals, according to Abu Ali Express. The report cites the organizers themselves admitting that the call to take to the streets did not materialize as expected.
Organizers of the planned anti-Hamas 'June 26 Revolution' protests in Gaza officially admitted on Friday evening that the demonstrations failed to draw crowds, according to a report by the Arab affairs outlet Abu Ali Express. The admission comes hours after the protests failed to materialize at their declared H-hour of 16:00, as The Zioneer reported at 17:02 — with footage from both Hamas-aligned and protest channels showing empty streets at designated gathering points.
This is the culmination of a protest movement that had been building for weeks. The Zioneer first reported on June 24 at 21:25 Jerusalem that Gaza activists were launching the 'July 26 Revolution' movement, later corrected to 'June 26.' Within hours that same day, The Zioneer published multiple updates: organizers set H-hour for Friday at 16:00, published 18 assembly points, and Israeli sources reported that Hamas had already arrested some organizers to preempt the campaign. By Thursday, Hamas-linked channels circulated a satirical video to discredit the campaign, labeling organizers as collaborators.
As The Zioneer reported on June 14, Hamas had arrested protest organizers in the days before the planned demonstrations. The failure of this latest protest effort echoes previous attempts: organizers behind the 'June 26 Revolution' are the same groups who led the previously failed 'Badna Naish' protests, according to Abu Ali Express's analysis.
Abu Ali Express attributes the failure to several factors — the inability to topple Hamas through social media campaigns alone, a pattern of ineffectiveness by recurring protest organizer groups, and the perceived taint of Israeli involvement. A video by Israeli Minister Avi Dichter, which Gaza residents fear will mark them as collaborators, is cited as a key deterrent. The report concludes that removing Hamas rule would require a direct Israeli confrontation with the group's control centers, rather than relying on grassroots protests.
8 developments
- StrongGaza activists plan 'June 26 Revolution' protests against Hamas, Hamas reportedly arrests organizers
- DevelopingHamas-linked channels mock 'June 26 Revolution' protests as collaboration with IDF
- DevelopingHamas deploys operatives to block planned anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, analyst says
- DevelopingReport: Gaza militias backed by Israel, but failing to challenge Hamas — analysts question strategy
Source and signal
- Internal intake