GAZA STRIP — The IDF Southern Command is preparing for demonstrations along the Gaza Strip's Yellow Line on Friday, June 26, 2026. Social media pages identified with Fatah launched a campaign calling for protests against Hamas on the same day.

Palestinian spokesmen stated the protest focuses on living conditions in the Gaza Strip and the delay in advancing the second phase of an agreement. Hamas launched a counter-campaign, encouraging demonstrations in the Gaza Strip against Israel and US envoy Nikolai Maladinov. Hamas figures identified the campaign against them as being run in part by Fatah activists from the West Bank.

IDF assessments indicate Hamas will attempt to push protests from the center of Gaza City toward the Yellow Line. The IDF intends to reinforce forces in line with its situation assessment. A military source from Southern Command stated that friction incidents occurred on the Yellow Line over the past month. The source added, "The sequence of events is reminiscent of the events in 2017." There is no fence along the Yellow Line in Gaza as of June 2026.

Defense officials stated on June 24, 2026, that the IDF had achieved operational control over 70% of the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Raed Abu Al-Qian, a civilian contractor with the IDF and a resident of Hura, was killed by a building collapse in the Gaza Strip. He was working on engineering projects in Gaza on behalf of the Defense Ministry. A security source stated that Israeli companies have begun negotiations regarding the large-scale demolition of Gaza's structures.