Hamas's Brutal Crackdown on Gaza Protests with Torture, Executions

Monday, 31 March 2025 | Hamas has begun cracking down on Gazans who participated in recent protests against the group’s rule, executing six people and publicly beating others, according to Palestinian activists and residents.

Among those killed was Odai al-Rubai, 22, a resident of Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood. Al-Rubai had called for public demonstrations and spoken out against Hamas on social media. He was abducted by Hamas operatives, tortured for four hours, and then returned to his family as he lay dying, witnesses said.

“He was dragged by a rope around his neck, beaten with clubs and metal rods in front of passersby,” said one resident who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

Another resident, Hussam al-Majdalawi, was reportedly kidnapped and beaten in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. Al-Majdalawi, who had also spoken against Hamas, was shot in the legs and left wounded in a public square, according to eyewitnesses.

Hamza al-Masri, a Gaza-based social activist who lost an eye after being tortured by Hamas in the past, said the crackdown was part of a broader effort to silence dissent.

“Just for asking to live, a Hamas military unit kidnapped several young men, including helpless Odai,” al-Masri wrote on social media. “Hours after he was taken, he was returned to his family without life.”

He accused Hamas of maintaining tight control over local media, preventing journalists from reporting on abuses. “There isn’t a single journalist in Gaza who can speak about the crimes being committed here,” he said. “The world has no idea what’s happening.”

Despite the threats, mourners at al-Rubai’s funeral shouted anti-Hamas slogans, including “Hamas out,” and several relatives fired weapons into the air. Members of his family reportedly identified one of the men responsible for the torture and vowed revenge.

“Don’t come to offer condolences before we take revenge,” one family member was quoted as saying.

Gazan influencer Mustafa Asfour wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that al-Rubai was “killed because he said aloud: We want to live. These are very sad moments, fueling hatred that could ignite a civil war.”

Large protests erupted earlier this month across Gaza, with thousands of Palestinians demanding an end to the ongoing war with Israel and criticizing Hamas’s governance. However, demonstrations subsided Friday, and no new calls for protest have emerged.

Palestinian sources said other demonstrators have gone missing in recent days, as Hamas seeks to reassert control and deter further dissent.