Multiple sources claimed on Monday that many individuals were killed over the weekend in Gaza City during deadly battles between Hamas security personnel and members of an armed clan.
Skirmishes erupted last week between the Palestinian Islamist group and the Doghmush clan, following the implementation of an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire.
Gunfights broke out on Sunday evening in Gaza City’s Sabra area, according to witnesses who spoke with AFP on the condition of anonymity because of concerns for their safety.
“About 200 members of the (Hamas) security forces were present and fought until they completely subdued” the clan members, a local resident said.
“There were dead and wounded among the (Doghmush) family members, but also martyrs and injured among the security forces,” he added.
Another resident provided a similar report, stating that peace returned to the neighborhoodafter 9:30 p.m. (1830 GMT).
A source in Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry confirmed that both sides had lost lives.
According to a ministry source, around sixty members of the Doghmush clan have been arrested on charges of being associated with Israeli forces and committing many murders.
The family denied any coordination with Israel but conceded in a statement that some of its members had committed “transgressions” without providing further information. It further accused Hamas security agencies of targeting all its members indiscriminately.
“In recent days, it was enough to belong to the Doghmush family to be shot in the legs, killed, arrested, or have your house burned down,” declared Abu al-Hassan Doghmush, a leading clan figure, on Facebook.
Following its takeover of power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, Hamas has engaged in numerous violent clashes with Gaza’s tribes, particularly the Doghmush.
On Sunday, Gaza’s interior ministry proclaimed the start of a “general amnesty period” for “members of criminal gangs” who did not commit killings during the conflict.
Since the cease-fire went into effect on Friday, AFP reporters have seen Hamas security troops deployed in various urban centers, markets, and along roadways throughout the Gaza Strip.
