A Gazan man who now lives in Turkey, who had published most of the footage of the demonstrations, recently said senior Hamas officials threatened him over his activities.

The terror group, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 said on Thursday that the protests were against Israel rather than Hamas, despite reports, interviews and footage to the contrary.

The family of 22-year-old Odai Nasser Saadi Al-Rubai, who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by Hamas militias, opened fire during his funeral and vowed to avenge his death.

Mourners turned the funeral into a protest against Hamas, chanting: "Hamas out, out!"

According to the Kan public broadcaster, partially out of a desire to quash the demonstrations, some senior Hamas members have shown willingness to release a small number of hostages to secure a truce during the Ramadan-ending holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which begins Sunday evening.

Hamas wants to crack down on those participating in the protests but cannot do so due to Israel’s resumed operations in Gaza, as the IDF is targeting terror operatives that it spots out in the open, according to the report.