Deadly Combat Ignite Involving the Hamas movement and Gaza-based Clan in the Gaza Strip
The southern Gaza city witnessed some of the most intense internal clashes since the conflict started, pitting Hamas security forces against gunmen from the al-Mujaida family - a major families in southern Gaza.
As stated by Hamas, its security personnel carried out an operation in the area to arrest people accused of cooperating with Israel.
Conversely, local accounts detailed an attack by around 50 men riding in five pickup trucks, equipped with assault rifles and RPG launchers, who stormed the al-Mujaida quarter and fatally shot five individuals from the clan.
Clan fighters rapidly responded, triggering prolonged gun battles with intense exchanges of fire.
Accounts circulating on social media – hard to authenticate – claim that at least 11 Hamas members were fatally wounded, with some of their bodies allegedly dragged through the public areas.
Videos broadly distributed on the internet, which remain unverified, seem to depict multiple injured bodies in combat uniforms, featuring a narration stating they belonged to Hamas's "military division".
Separate video captured automatic weapon fire and a rocket-propelled grenade hitting a apartment block in the district.
Tribal mediators later intervened to mediate among the opposing groups, resulting in an exchange of bodies aimed at control the intensification.
While the precise reasons continue to be ambiguous, the confrontation has heightened apprehension among Gaza residents.
Many fear that widespread weapons, friction between powerful families and Hamas's control over governance could escalate into situations similar to domestic warfare in a region already gripped by displacement, damage, and concern of additional disorder.
Analysts suggest that the degree of resentment which Hamas encounters from its many opponents – some of whom have been marginalized during its seventeen-year rule – is thought to be a significant component driving the movement to decline the truce agreement.
Moreover, there is concern of violent retribution, of meeting violent ends in the public spaces, since the agreement mandates Hamas to fully surrender weapons.
Indications suggest that the commander of Hamas's military wing in Gaza has shown reluctance regarding the plan, which was unveiled recently.
The agreement includes a cut-off point for Hamas to accept or encounter severe consequences.
