Having brought the people of Gaza nothing but fire and death through its 2023 massacre of Israeli civilians, Hamas is using more death to keep the disenchanted people of Gaza in line as a ceasefire with Israel takes hold.
Hamas has killed more than 30 people as it battles its rivals, according to Reuters.
The outlet reported that a Gaza City gun battle with a gang opposed to Hamas left 32 gang members and six Hamas fighters dead.
Meanwhile, social media footage showed men clothed in garb worn by Hamas shooting three men to death in the street who were denounced by a crowd as “collaborators.”
In the unprecedented vacuum that follows the ceasefire, some in Gaza are saying Hamas cannot remain in control, according to The Times of Israel.
Hussam al-Astal, an anti-Hamas figure in Khan Younis, taunted Hamas in a video Sunday saying that after handing over Israeli hostages, it would have no further role in Gaza.
Fox News said the video showing the executions is a means of intimidation against the people of Gaza as Hamas fighters who were not killed by Israel emerge from hiding.
An Israeli official described the killings as “Hamas’s deliberate attempt to show the killing publicly and reestablish its rule by terrorizing civilians.”
Mukhaimar Abu Saada, a political analyst from Gaza, said that ending Palestinian-on-Palestinian fighting “won’t happen quickly.”
“We’re talking about an ideological organization. Even last night, people were killed in clashes between Hamas and local militias. It’s not a rosy road,” he said.
“They’re still strong,” he continued. “Part of the reason they didn’t fight harder in the last days is that they saved some men and weapons for the day after. I still see Hamas police in the streets of Gaza.”
Abu Saada said there is “no question Hamas will have to disarm one way or another” as part of the plan developed through President Donald Trump’s leadership.
“No Arab country will give a single dollar if Hamas doesn’t disarm. Rebuilding Gaza depends on Hamas no longer being in control. The war is over, but the real test is only beginning,” he said.
A Gaza resident Fox News did not name said the contest for supremacy has just begun.
“You cannot say the war is finished,” he said. “We have to wait a few weeks to see what happens. There are gangs in Gaza now; Hamas is trying to fight them. If they don’t unify, another war could start.”
“Hamas is not strong like before. Those who remain are mostly police — not the real Hamas people who believe in their extremist jihadist ideology,” he said. “We have to watch what happens next and see if they rebuild.”
In the meantime, there is a void.
“No one knows what is happening — who will rule, what will happen with Hamas, and if the war is truly over,” a Gaza City man said. “We hope for a better future. I just want me and my family to live without targeting, without bloodshed.”
“People just want the blood to stop. They want to stop losing their relatives and friends… It’s in their hands now — if they will allow Hamas to continue or finally rise up. But nothing is clear,” he said.
Jacob Olidort, director of the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute, said Hamas is “in the most militarily and diplomatically isolated place it has ever been.”
“Even before and after the release of hostages, Hamas has been defiant in tone,” Olidort said. “But all of that will be overshadowed by the vast expansion of peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors. All of Israel’s regional partners are eager to normalize and build on where they left off prior to Oct 7.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.