At some of these rallies, masked Hamas militias—armed with clubs—
1. were seen watching the crowd closely,
2. possibly taking names of protesters to target them later.

Supporters of the demonstrations said these men were Hamas operatives seeking to intimidate those protesting.
Several participants posted on social media that they received death threats from Hamas members who warned them not to attend such rallies again.

Earlier Thursday, Hamas issued a joint statement with other Gaza terror groups, warning that those participating in the protests would be treated as Israel collaborators — a group that is stomped out brutally by Hamas.

While the protests were still relatively small, the fact that they had not relented amid Hamas intimidation indicated that the phenomenon was gaining momentum. Another round of protests was also scheduled for Friday, according to social media posts from organizers.