At least 27 people were killed over the past several days as violent confrontations broke out between anti-Hamas militias and Hamas fighters who returned to Gaza following Israel’s pullout.
Witnesses described chaos in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of southern Gaza, where roughly 300 armed Hamas operatives stormed a residential compound occupied by gunmen from the Dughmush clan, a powerful family long opposed to Hamas. Families fled in terror as sustained gunfire and explosions filled the streets.
“This time, people weren’t fleeing Israeli attacks, but their own people,” one resident said, describing the sense of disbelief and fear that gripped the neighborhood.
According to figures released by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, the clashes left eight Hamas fighters and 19 members of the Dughmush militia dead. Hamas sources said the operation was launched after Dughmush gunmen killed two of their members and wounded five others earlier in the week.
A Dughmush family spokesman told local outlets that “Hamas forces came to a building that once served as the Jordanian Hospital, where the family had taken refuge after their homes in the al-Sabra neighborhood were destroyed in the latest Israeli strike. Hamas wanted to evict the family to establish a new base for its forces there.”
Gunfire reportedly continued throughout the day as both sides exchanged fire. Meanwhile, three armed factions opposed to Hamas released statements in recent days expressing their backing for President Trump’s peace initiative to bring the Gaza conflict to an end.
Thank you, Matzav, for this accurate article and accurate headline.
It’s also worth noting that the Dughmash clan established the terrorist org “Jaysh al-Islam” (the Army of Islam), which kidnapped Gilad Shalit.
So this clan warfare is also Hamas vs. Army of Islam.