> Completely clamping down on independent photo/videography is very difficult, even in a place like Gaza.

Only if you follow western sensibilities. If you have gunmen roaming the streets with machine guns, allowed to shoot anyone of the "normal" people, and they constantly ask for inspecting people's phones ... then it's not very difficult. They regularly fire into crowds, for all sorts of reasons.

Especially if about 20% of the population is part of that force roaming the streets with machine guns. There's 3 possible jobs you can have in Gaza: construction worker in Israel, Hamas or independent (baker, plumber, ...)

Hamas keeps far tighter control of their population than the USSR ever did.