Violent clashes have erupted between Hamas and rival groups in multiple areas across Gaza, including some incidents that culminated in apparent public executions, amid heightened concerns about the security situation following Israel’s withdrawal from parts of the territory.
Reports of the violence have been widely shared on social media channels, and one particularly gruesome video shared on Hamas-affiliated channels shows a group of masked fighters, some wearing green Hamas headbands, killing eight blindfolded people as a large crowd watches in a Gaza City square, a possible sign of the brutality Hamas is using to reassert itself as a security force.
CNN has confirmed where the video was shot, in the Al-Sabra neighborhood in western Gaza City, but cannot independently confirm when the incident occurred.
However, the incident likely occurred after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, as Israeli forces had been active in the area even before that. The wartime building damage seen in the video suggests it was recently filmed.
The detainees, all believed to be adult men, were seen being dragged into the square with their hands tied behind their backs. Some are partially undressed and barefoot.
Some fighters can be seen using force to beat prisoners who are in line for execution. The fighters cheer after shooting at the detainees.
Palestinian factions and human rights groups condemned the executions.
The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement condemning the killing, calling it a “heinous crime” and a “clear violation of human rights.”
The Independent Commission on Human Rights (ICHR), Palestine’s national human rights watchdog, said: “These acts constitute serious legal and moral crimes and require urgent condemnation and accountability.”
However, the Palestinian Resistance, a coalition of Hamas-related groups including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, praised what it called “the security campaign being carried out by the Gaza Ministry of Interior and National Security to enforce the law and pursue lawbreakers, including collaborators, mercenaries, thieves, bandits and those collaborating with Zionist enemies throughout the Gaza Strip.”
“We carried out a precise operation in the center of Gaza City, which resulted in the neutralization of several wanted persons and outlaws,” Hamas-linked security force Radha said in a statement.
A statement posted on a Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel on Wednesday said the executions took place “after the completion of all legal and judicial procedures,” a claim that has been widely disputed.
Allegations have been made that the detainees were collaborating with Israel or involved in security or criminal activities, but no evidence has been presented.
Radha said it had taken control of positions in Gaza City and “cleared and arrested individuals who took part in shootings, killings of displaced persons, and attacks on civilians.”
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Ladder state said it was “carrying out a comprehensive security operation across the Strip over several days targeting collaborators with the occupation forces and their mercenaries and those protecting them.”
CNN cannot independently confirm the identities of the fighters or prisoners, but the footage surfaced after days of reported clashes between Hamas fighters and the powerful Domush family, based in al-Sabra.
CNN previously reported that the Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel said the violence began after the son of a Hamas military official was killed.
Palestinian NGO Almezan Human Rights Center said it had received reports of clashes between armed groups and local family armed groups in Gaza City’s Sabra and Tel al-Hawa districts after the ceasefire took effect on Friday.
According to information gathered, the attackers claimed they were trying to arrest a group of suspects.
“The clash resulted in casualties for both the family and the attacking force. A video showing the execution of several civilians was widely circulated on social media after several family members were arrested,” the center said, adding that no official statement had been released from local authorities about the incident.
Radaa said in a statement on Monday that it was “carrying out extensive security operations, which resulted in the arrest of a number of collaborators and individuals operating above the law.”
Radha said in a statement that it had arrested a group of “illegal elements” who opened fire on security forces in central Gaza and detained a number of people in southern Gaza “involved in cooperating with armed militias and recruiting collaborators during the war.”
In a statement, the Domush family said they were “shocked by the horrific internal activities that targeted our innocent sons, including murder, intimidation, torture, and the burning of occupied homes, without any justification and under false pretenses that have nothing to do with reality.”
The family said it had lost about 600 members in the war and that the Israeli military had launched a brutal campaign against the family because it had “categorically and completely rejected all attempts to bring the occupying forces to its side or to invite them to work for the family.”
“What is happening today is a heinous crime perpetrated against a family known for its indomitable spirit and determination, and its refusal to accept any form of cooperation or betrayal,” the family said in a statement.
Families announced Wednesday that at least 28 members were killed by Hamas after being given security guarantees to turn themselves in.
Footage of the execution was widely shared online, and Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it showed why Hamas “must go.”
The video was released after US President Donald Trump suggested he had authorized Hamas to guard the territory “for a period of time.”
President Trump, during a visit to the Middle East on Monday, was asked about Hamas’ reassertion in the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire agreement he helped broker between Hamas and Israel.
In response, President Trump said, “They want to stop the problem. They’ve been open about it and we’ve approved it for a period of time.”
Israel is pushing for the complete disarmament of Hamas to be included in the ceasefire agreement.
