Violent demonstrations along the border fence with Israel in recent days took yet another heavy toll on residents of the Gaza Strip. On Sept. 29, Israel troops fired at thousands of protesters who massed along the fence, killing seven Palestinians — among them a 12-year-old boy. Palestinians hurled a large number of grenades and other explosive devices at Israeli soldiers.

Israeli and international media reporting on such incidents generally focus on the number of Palestinian casualties, on assessments by senior defense officials regarding Hamas motives in increasing the frequency of the anti-Israel demonstrations, and — according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson — on the number of protesters who heeded Hamas' calls to clash with Israeli troops at the border fence.

Those following the weekly events in Gaza since the US Embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in mid-May might think that all 2 million Gaza Strip residents had mobilized for the campaign against Israel. Hamas' leadership has reinforced this impression by pitching the demonstrations as “popular protests” and appearing to focus international public opinion with great success on events in Gaza and on Israel’s 11-year siege of the enclave.

However, virtually all Israeli and international media outlets were unaware of other protests in recent weeks that were generated by opponents of Gaza’s Hamas rulers. One of the main reasons for this lack of publication is that Palestinian media in the Strip does not dare publish “the banned things” to which almost every Gaza resident has been exposed in recent weeks.