At least seven alleged collaborators with Israel were executed today by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza City and other suspects and members of rival factions were arrested in the territory.
The seven alleged collaborators were shot among a crowd that shouted slogans in support of the armed resistance, reported the Europa Press news agency, based on videos published on social media and disseminated by Palestinian media outlets.
Hamas confirmed the arrests of “a large number of collaborators” and members of rival militias that emerged during the Israeli military offensive, now interrupted after more than two years, in the Palestinian enclave.
The Islamist group said deterrence units, which are part of the Gaza Strip government’s security forces, launched several operations that led to the arrest of armed individuals accused of killing displaced people and attacking civilians, as well as taking up positions supporting rival militias.
“Anyone caught collaborating with the enemy or committing crimes will be referred to the judicial authorities for the necessary legal measures“, Hamas stated, adding: “We will strike with an iron fist at anyone who disrupts security”.
The France-Presse news agency (AFP) reported that several people were killed over the weekend in Gaza City in armed clashes between Hamas forces and members of the Doghmoush clan, a major Palestinian group in the enclave.
After several days of clashes, “exchanges of fire” occurred again on Sunday night in the Sabra neighborhood, two days after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force, witnesses told AFP on condition of anonymity, expressing fear for their safety.
“Around 200 members of the security forces [do Hamas] were present and fought until they completely subdued” their opponents, described a local inhabitant.
The same source said that “there were deaths and injuries among members of the clan [Doghmoush]but also martyrs among the security forces, and injured”.
Accusing the Doghmoush clan of being “accomplices to the occupation”, that is, Israel, and several murders, a source from the territory’s Ministry of Interior, controlled by Hamas, indicated that around 60 members were arrested.
The clan denied any collaboration with Israel and admitted, in a statement, that some members had engaged in “misconduct”, without providing further details, but also accused the Hamas security services of attacking indiscriminately.
In recent days, “you only had to be a member of the Doghmoush clan to be shot in the legs, killed, arrested or have your house burned down”, condemned Abu al-Hassan Doghmoush, a leader of the clan, on the social network Facebook.
When Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it used force to oppose prominent clans, including Doghmoush, and rival political factions.
On Sunday, the Gaza Interior Ministry announced it was opening a “general amnesty period” for “criminal gang members” who did not commit murders during the war.
About three weeks ago, Hamas gunmen had already carried out a public execution in Gaza City of three alleged Israeli collaborators.
The understanding between Israel and Hamas was promoted by the United States and negotiated over several days in Sharm el-Sheikh with the mediation of delegations from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
At this stage, a ceasefire was agreed, the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, the mass entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave and the exchange of hostages for prisoners.
In all, 1,968 prisoners have been released under the agreement, including many convicted of deadly attacks against Israel, as well as 1,700 Palestinians imprisoned for alleged “security reasons” since the start of the war in October 2023.
In exchange, Hamas returned in two waves 20 live hostages held captive in the Palestinian enclave for almost two years, but indicated that it would only hand over four bodies today of the 28 presumed dead.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people died and 251 were taken hostage.
In retaliation, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, which caused more than 67,000 deaths, according to local authorities controlled by Hamas, the destruction of almost all of the territory’s infrastructure and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.