Hamas has called up some 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops, according to local sources.
The Palestinian group also appointed five new governors, all with military experience, some of whom previously commanded brigades in its armed wing.
The mobilization order was reportedly issued through phone calls and text messages that said the goal was to “cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators of Israel” and asked fighters to report within 24 hours.
Reports from Gaza suggest that armed Hamas units have already been deployed in several districts, some dressed in civilian clothes and others in blue Gaza police uniforms.
Tensions rose sharply and quickly 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.
Their bodies were left in the street, sparking anger and raising the possibility of a major armed response by Hamas.
Hamas members subsequently surrounded a large area where more than 300 Dughmush gunmen, armed with machine guns and improvised explosives, were believed to be hiding.
This morning, Hamas killed one member of the Dughmush clan and reportedly kidnapped 30 others.
Some of the clan’s weapons were looted from Hamas warehouses during the war, while others had been in the clan’s possession for years.
Hamas’ mobilization had been widely anticipated amid growing uncertainty over who will govern Gaza once the war ends.
This is a key issue that could complicate the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which calls for the disarmament of Hamas.
A Hamas official abroad declined to comment directly on reports of the security deployment, but told the BBC: “We cannot leave Gaza at the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the Israeli occupation. Our weapons are legitimate… to resist the occupation, and they will remain as long as the occupation continues.”
A retired security official who served for years with the Palestinian Authority in Gaza said he feared the territory was sliding toward another round of internal bloodshed.
“Hamas has not changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive,” he told the BBC.
“Gaza is awash with weapons. Looters have stolen thousands of weapons and ammunition from Hamas warehouses during the war, and some groups have even received supplies from Israel.
“This is a perfect recipe for civil war: guns, frustration, chaos and a desperate movement to reassert control over a broken and exhausted population.”
Khalil Abu Shammala, a human rights expert living in Gaza, said it remained to be seen whether Hamas would agree to hand over control on the ground or try to obstruct the implementation of the plan.
“There is certainly widespread fear among many Gazans of potential internal clashes, given the many conditions that could fuel them,” he said.
He said Hamas had been forced to accept the peace plan because of the heavy pressure it was under.
“I believe that their continued attempts to maintain influence by any means, including involvement in security matters, could ultimately jeopardize the agreement and plunge Gaza residents into even greater suffering,” he said.
These developments since the ceasefire earlier this week have sparked deep concern among Gazans, already worn down by two years of devastating conflict.