Masked fighters seen executing men in Gaza City as Hamas fights with rival groups

As concerns about the security situation increased following Israel’s withdrawal from parts of the region, violent clashes broke out between Hamas and rival groups in various parts of Gaza; these clashes included one incident that resulted in a public execution.

News of the violence was shared widely on social media channels; a particularly gruesome video showing a group of masked fighters, some wearing green Hamas headbands, killing eight blindfolded people in a square in Gaza City as large crowds watched, a possible sign of this brutality Hamas is using it to re-defend itself as security force.

CNN has confirmed the location where the video was shot, the Al Sabra neighborhood in Western Gaza City, but cannot independently confirm when the incident occurred.

However, since Israeli troops are operating in the region, it is possible that the incident occurred after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force. Wartime damage to the buildings seen in the video indicates that the film was shot recently.

The detainees, who all look like adult men, are seen being dragged into the square with their hands tied behind their backs. Some are partially stripped and barefoot.

Some fighters are seen hitting some of the prisoners powerfully as they were lined up for execution. The fighters cheered after shooting the prisoners.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a Palestinian non-governmental organization, described the incident as “extrajudicial execution of citizens” and called for an investigation into the incident and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Radaa, the security force affiliated with Hamas, said in a statement that it “carried out a sensitive operation in the center of Gaza City, and as a result, many wanted people and outlaws were neutralized.”

He did not provide any evidence.

Radaa said it had taken control of positions in Gaza City and was “searching for and arresting individuals who participated in shooting attacks, killings of displaced persons, and attacks on civilians.”

CNN cannot independently verify the identities of the fighters or the prisoners, but the video emerged after days of fighting between Hamas fighters and the Doghmush family, a powerful clan based in Al Sabra.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s office condemned the killings, calling them “heinous crimes” and a “blatant violation of human rights,” the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The presidency added that they would hold Hamas accountable for “these crimes that harm the supreme interests of the Palestinian people,” WAFA reported.

Previously CNN Hamas-affiliated Telegram channels reportedly said the violence began following the killing of the son of a senior Hamas military commander.

Human rights group Al Mezan said it had received reports of gunmen clashing with gunmen from a local family in Gaza City’s Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods after the ceasefire came into force on Friday.

According to the information obtained, it was stated that the attackers claimed that they were trying to arrest a group of suspects.

“During the clashes, there were casualties among both family members and the attacking force. After the arrest of several family members, the video showing the execution of many citizens was widely spread on social media,” the center said, adding that there was no official statement from local authorities about the incident.

Radaa said in a statement on Monday that it had conducted “wide-ranging security operations that resulted in the arrest of numerous collaborators and persons operating illegally.”

In the statement, Radaa said it arrested a group of “lawless elements” who opened fire on security forces in central Gaza, and detained a number of people in southern Gaza who “collaborated with armed militias and recruited collaborators during the war.”

In a statement, the Doghmush Family said it was “shocked by a harrowing internal campaign targeting our innocent sons, which includes killing, intimidating, torturing and burning houses with their occupants inside, without justification and under false pretexts that have nothing to do with reality.”

The family lost nearly 600 members during that war, he said, and the Israeli army launched a brutal campaign against the family after it “unequivocally and completely rejected all attempts by the occupation to win him over or recruit him to work on its behalf.”

“What happened today is a heinous crime committed against a family known for its determination, determination and rejection of all forms of cooperation and betrayal,” the family said.

“We hold all those who participated in, contributed to, or remained silent in these crimes fully accountable before God and history.”

Video of the executions was shared widely online, including by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which said the footage showed why Hamas “must go.”

“The terrorist group rules by fear; it executes civilians, tortures dissidents, and shoots those who dare to protest. Palestinians seeking food or freedom are met with bullets, not compassion. This is not resistance, it is tyranny,” the ministry said.

The video emerged after US President Donald Trump claimed that he had given approval to Hamas to control the region “for a while”.

Trump, while traveling to the Middle East on Monday, was asked about Hamas reasserting itself in Gaza following a ceasefire he helped broker between the group and Israel.

In response, Trump said, “They want to stop the problems. They’ve been open about it, and we’ve given them the go-ahead for a while.”

Israel is pressing intensely for the complete disarmament of Hamas to be included in the ceasefire agreement.

However, in Trump’s 20-item peace plan published last week, it is stated that “Hamas members who undertake to live together in peace and lay down their weapons will be given amnesty.”

When asked about Hamas’ status during Air Force One’s flight to the Middle East on Monday, Trump said the group would monitor the region for a while.

“They probably lost 60,000 people. This is great revenge,” he said. “There are close to 2 million people going back into destroyed buildings, and a lot of bad things can happen. So we want it to be safe. I think it will be fine… who knows… but I think it will be fine.”

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