Despite widespread celebrations over the adoption of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan between Israel and Hamas, civilians in Gaza are still in danger amid an interim period of civil conflict.
Terrorist group Hamas is reportedly deploying thousands of militants throughout the Gaza Strip in a last-minute effort to eliminate its political rivals and those it deems traitors to its cause.
Video has emerged of what appears to be Hamas gunmen lining up and executing captives in a public square of the war-torn Gaza City.
The eight victims, with their arms tied behind their backs, were shown in the footage being killed in front of a crowd cheering “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great!” Bystanders with cellphones captured the scene from multiple angles, and the videos are circulating widely on social media.
The BBC placed the location of the execution on a major road in Gaza City, citing forensic evidence.
The disturbing video is further evidence of growing concerns that the terrorist group is using the newly established peace as an opportunity to settle scores.
Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner that the “escalating violence by Hamas against individuals, established militias, and clans [and] families is real” and the “scale appears to be large.”
“What Hamas and its allies are doing is disarming the opposition while maintaining its weapons and asserting power. There is no sign that Hamas and its allies in Gaza have any intention of disarming,” Truzman said.
The Israel Defense Forces pulled out of Gaza City over the weekend as part of the first phase of peace, leaving the area without a functioning law enforcement or military presence.
Not long after, Hamas reportedly released a statement via call and text mobilizing its remaining soldiers, activating them in a post-deal campaign to purge the region of rival clans and militia groups.
“We declare a general mobilization in response to the call of national and religious duty, to cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel,” the message reportedly stated. “You must report within 24 hours to your designated locations using your official codes.”
The Arrow Unit, a special police force of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry of Gaza, has been linked to these attacks, with revenge as the likely motive.
“While in part they do have a law enforcement role, they have also been used as a tool by Hamas to intimidate Palestinians and suppress dissent against the Islamist group’s rule during the war,” Truzman explained. “Now, we are seeing it, but on a much grander scale and in the open. Recent public executions of alleged collaborators are the most overt way of Hamas asserting its rule in the enclave.”
A preeminent target of these attacks is the Doghmush clan, a clandestine criminal family accused by Hamas of collaborating with Israel during the war.
Hamas suspects the Doghmush of being responsible for murdering three members of the terrorist group.
“In recent days, Muhammad Aqel, the son of famous Hamas commander Imad Aqel, was allegedly killed by the Doghmush clan,” Truzman told the Washington Examiner. “Two days ago, the son of Hamas leader Basem Naim was allegedly killed by the Doghmush clan in clashes. Naim was a member of the Arrow Unit.”
“The Arrow Unit also accused the Doghmush clan of killing a popular Gaza blogger, Saleh Jafarawi, though there is no evidence that I have observed to prove the point,” he continued. “The killings of these three individuals have served as a casus belli for the group to violently crack down on those it deems to have acted against Hamas’ interests during the war.”
Following the retreat of the IDF from Gaza City and the release of all living hostages from Hamas imprisonment, the next steps of the peace plan call for Hamas to fully disarm itself.
The terrorist group has acknowledged its willingness to surrender leadership of Gaza to an international “Board of Peace” as stipulated, but has been much less enthusiastic about the prospect of laying down its weapons.
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“We cannot leave Gaza at the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the Israeli occupation,” a Hamas official told the BBC on Saturday. “Our weapons are legitimate … to resist occupation, and they will remain as long as the occupation continues.”
There is no publicly known framework within the Trump peace plan to deal with a situation in which Hamas refuses to disarm despite releasing the hostages and offering to stand down as a governing body.
