Hamas carried out mass public executions in Gaza on Monday, as the militant group seeks to consolidate its control over the Palestinian enclave and punish those it accuses of collaborating with Israel.
Gruesome video footage showed eight blindfolded, beaten men kneeling on a busy street before being shot dead by masked gunmen in front of a cheering crowd.
The terror group claimed, without providing evidence, that the killings targeted “criminals and collaborators with Israel,” according to reports from the BBC.
Among those killed was Ahmad Zidan al-Tarabin, allegedly involved in recruiting members for a rival, non-Hamas militia, Israeli outlet Ynet News reported.
The executions came shortly after a ceasefire was implemented, highlighting Hamas’ immediate efforts to reassert authority following the withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The group has reportedly targeted “clans”—family-based armed groups that had gained influence during the conflict.
On Sunday, clashes between Hamas and the powerful Dagmoush clan resulted in 52 clan members killed, alongside 12 Hamas militants, including the son of senior official Bassem Naim.
Militants allegedly used ambulances to storm the neighborhood of the clan, whom they accused of collaborating with Israel.
READ ALSO: Madagascar Soldiers Join Protesters, Refuse Orders to Shoot Demonstrators
A daughter of one victim described the violence, saying: “It’s a massacre.
They’re dragging people away, children are screaming and dying, they’re burning our houses. What did we do wrong?”
Earlier on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Hamas had been given temporary authority to manage internal security in Gaza as part of his 20-point peace plan aimed at returning the remaining hostages to Israel.
“They [Hamas] do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.
Despite the ceasefire and the ongoing peace negotiations, Trump warned on Tuesday that Hamas would be disarmed if it failed to comply with the peace plan.
“Well, they’re going to disarm because they said they were going to disarm, and if they don’t, we will disarm them,” he told journalists while hosting visiting Argentine President Javier Milei.
Hamas’ refusal to relinquish weapons or governance of Gaza underscores the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the challenges facing the implementation of the peace plan, even as civilians return to damaged homes across the enclave.
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
