Hamas accused the clan of working with Israel.
Hamas appears to be preparing to take revenge on those who oppose its rule in Gaza. This will come in the form of mafia killings of those Hamas claims are “collaborators.” It will target clans and groups that have shown opposition to Hamas. He will also target those who have worked with Israel, or those he accuses of working with Israel.
A Telegram channel linked to Hamas said the group would target “collaborators.”
The BBC reported that Hamas has called up some 7,000 fighters to assert its control. Hamas recruited during the war even as it suffered losses. He may have lost many of his commanders, but he has appointed new commanders for various cells, platoons, companies, battalions, and brigades.
The BBC reported that “Hamas calls in 7,000 fighters to reassert control over Gaza as fears arise of new internal violence following the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The mobilization has been widely anticipated as uncertainty grows over who will govern Gaza once the war ends; this is a key point for the later phases of Trump’s plan.”
Hamas has long used mafia tactics to keep people under control in Gaza. This goes back to how the group emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hamas leaders like Yahya Sinwar were known for brutally murdering “collaborators” back then. Sinwar is dead but his tactics live on. Hamas has lost many of its largest weapons, but retains AK-47s and can use them to kill people. Videos of Hamas allegedly murdering people have already emerged.
The organization’s brutality has also been revealed in a New York Times article showing how Sinwar and Hamas planned to murder Israelis and burn communities on October 7.
Khaled Abu Toameh, an expert and journalist who has covered Palestinian affairs for decades, wrote on social media that “Hamas security forces have arrested dozens of suspected collaborators and members of anti-Hamas clans since the ceasefire went into effect. Many are expected to be executed, according to Palestinian sources.”
As Hamas threatens to eliminate any opposition in Gaza, groups that emerged during the war to challenge Hamas are looking to the future. The Telegraph reported this weekend that “In an exclusive interview, Hossam al-Astal describes how he and others who hate the terror group are biding their time to liberate Gaza.”
Astal leads a group opposed to Hamas. In the interview he said he would work with Tony Blair, whose name has been circulated as one of those who could play a role on the Trump-backed Gaza Peace Board.
Hamas is also likely targeting the Doghmush clan, whose members it has killed in the past. The clan is large and has weapons, and Hamas will try to keep it under control through violence, but probably also through talks. The BBC reported on October 11 that “tensions rose sharply and rapidly after two members of Hamas’s elite forces were shot dead by gunmen from the powerful Dughmush clan in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City. One of them was the son of a senior commander in Hamas’s armed wing, Imad Aqel, who now heads the group’s military intelligence.”
Another group Hamas will want to target is any of those linked to Yasser Abu Shabab, who formed a militia in southern Gaza. It is linked to Bedouin families and Hamas may target Bedouin tribesmen accused of working with Israel.
Israel’s Ynet noted that “amid the emerging ceasefire agreement with Hamas, under which 48 hostages held in Gaza are expected to be released in the coming days, a senior Israeli security official called on Thursday to ‘act now’ to protect Gaza clans that fought Hamas during the war. ‘We must not abandon them in the hands of Hamas,’ he said.” The New Arab has asked what will happen to groups that worked with Israel and The Guardian has made it appear that those groups could damage the current peace agreement.
Targeting the Mujaida clan
In early October, Hamas also attacked a neighborhood where the Mujaida clan lives. Several people died. “The southern Gaza town of Khan Younis has seen one of the fiercest internal confrontations since the war began, between a Hamas security force and gunmen from the al-Mujaida clan, one of the largest families in the south,” the BBC noted.
Hamas will want to settle scores and also show that it is still in control. Hamas will not remain in the shadows, it is already deploying men with AK-47s in areas of Gaza. He will want to demonstrate that he still has a mafia-like grip on power. You don’t want any of the various clans, tribes, and militias to get any ideas. He will want to consolidate power before a new interim administration is appointed. Then it will be a fait accompli for anyone who believes they can drive Hamas out of Gaza.