Dozens killed in Gaza clashes before planned hostage release
Protesters in Gaza target Hamas
Fox News’ Mike Tobin reports that for the first time since Hamas came to power 18 years ago, Gazans are speaking out against Hamas at great personal risk.
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Dozens of people were killed during fierce fighting in Gaza on Sunday, according to local reports, just hours after the expected release of hostages in the war-torn region.
Clashes between local militias also took place ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s televised speech, in which he described the upcoming hostage release as “the beginning of a new path.”
The Israeli president had warned, “The campaign is not over yet. We still have huge security problems ahead of us.”
Local people said that gunshots caused families to flee in panic.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: ISRAELI HOSTAGE FAMILIES BEHAVIOR, PEACE IS OBSTACLED, WAR IS CRUSHED IN GAZA
Hamas raided Gaza’s Sabra neighborhood, targeting the Doghmush clan for their alleged collaboration with Israel, killing dozens amid ceasefire tensions. (Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“This time people were not running away from Israeli attacks. They were running away from their own people,” said an eyewitness. BBC.
According to news from Israel Ynet, Violence broke out when Hamas militants raided the Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City, home of a clan called Doghmush, also known as the Al Doghmush family militia.
The report stated that the Hamas Ministry of Internal Affairs accused the militia of attacking their forces, while members of the Doghmush clan said that Hamas was using the ceasefire to target them due to its alleged cooperation with Israel.
“Children are screaming and dying, they are burning our houses,” a relative of the clan told Ynet.
Another member said, “We are trapped. I don’t know how they got in with all kinds of weapons. Where were the Jews when they were here? They arrested all the young people, lined them up against the walls, pointed guns at their heads. There is a massacre here.”
In total, Ynet It reported that 52 members of the Doghmush clan were killed and 12 Hamas militants were killed.
AS TRUMP’S GAZA DEAL NEARS, THE FAMILY WARNES ISRAEL NOT TO UNLEASH ANOTHER SIN WAR
Terrorists in the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza celebrate the ceasefire on January 19, 2025. (TPS-IL)
Hamas television channel claimed that blogger Salah al-Jafaravi, who celebrated the October 7 attacks online, was among those killed. The terrorist-run channel claimed that the blogger was shot dead by “armed gangs operating outside the law” while covering the clashes.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the son of senior Hamas official Basem Naim was also killed.
“We still say that you should not shed Muslim blood by a Muslim,” a senior tribesman told Ynet.
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It was reported that at least 64 people died in the clashes in Gaza. (Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hamas’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Security later announced a “mercy framework” allowing militia members and criminals not involved in the bloodshed to surrender by next Sunday, warning that those who did not comply would be “severely punished.”
Amid the bloodshed, three anti-Hamas militias publicly declared their support for President Trump’s peace proposal, rejecting Hamas’ authority in the Gaza Strip.
Israel said Hamas was expected to release 20 live hostages to the Red Cross by 5 a.m. Monday morning eastbound (noon in Gaza).
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The hostages will be transported in six to eight vehicles under Red Cross supervision and handed over to Israeli forces in Gaza. They will then be taken to southern Israel to be reunited with their loved ones.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Government of Israel for comment.
