Rights groups accuse Hamas of violently suppressing dissent, quashing protests in the areas they control, while also jailing and torturing their critics.
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Palestinians in Gaza have staged a rare public protest against Hamas, calling for the militant group to end the war and leave the Strip.
Videos circulating online show hundreds of people marching in an anti-war protest in partially destroyed northern town of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday.
While the protests began in northern Gaza, according to online users they sprang up elsewhere in Gaza as the day progressed, with demonstrations reportedly taking place as far south as Khan Younis by the evening.
In some videos, Hamas supporters can be seen attempting to break up the crowds.
While some protesters called more generally for an end to the war with Israel, others openly blamed Hamas for starting the conflict and demanded the group leave Gaza.
While Hamas won the most seats in the 2006 legislative election, it didn't win an outright majority of votes. Hamas was also opposed to a power-sharing agreement with Fatah, the political group which previously controlled Gaza, and seized power in 2007.
Rights groups accuse Hamas of violently suppressing dissent, quashing protests in the areas it controls and jailing and torturing critics.
Protests could affect Hamas
In Beit Lahiya, people held signs saying "Stop the war" and "We refuse to die" while others openly chanted "Hamas out".
"We are sick of the bombing, killing and displacement," said Ammar Hassan, who took part in the protest.
According to Hassan, the demonstration started as an anti-war rally with just a few dozen people but then swelled to more than 2,000, with people chanting against Hamas.
"It's the only party we can affect," he said over the phone. "Protests won't stop the (Israeli) occupation, but they can affect Hamas," he said.
"The protest was not about politics. It was about people's lives," said Mohammed Abu Saker, a father of three from the nearby town of Beit Hanoun, who joined the demonstration.
"We want to stop the killing and displacement, no matter the price. We can't stop Israel from killing us, but we can press Hamas to give concessions," he said.
A statement released by the Elders and Mukhtars of Beit Lahiya group expressed support for the protests against Israel's offensive and its blockade, but backed armed resistance.
Local leaders said they rejected "any attempt to exploit legitimate popular demands by a fifth column," in an apparent reference to opponents of Hamas.
Tensions running high
The protests erupted a week after Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise wave of strikes, which killed hundreds of people.
Earlier this month, Israel also halted deliveries of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gaza's population of roughly two million people.
Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns the 59 hostages it still holds, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Israel is also demanding that the group give up power, disarm and send its leaders into exile.
Hamas' conditions for releasing the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners are a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which saw Palestinian militants kill some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and take 251 people hostage.
Hamas claims only a handful of its top commanders knew about the attack before it happened.
Israel's bombardment and ground operations in its war on Hamas have caused vast destruction across Gaza and displaced around 90% of the Strip's population.