CAIRO/GAZA, 14 October 2025 — Hamas has moved to reassert control across parts of the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire that began on Friday, with at least 33 people reported killed in a sweep against rival groups and alleged collaborators.
Footage posted online appeared to show masked gunmen executing kneeling detainees in a public square; the date and location could not be independently verified. The group did not immediately comment.
A Gaza security official said 32 members of “a gang affiliated with a family in Gaza City” were killed and that six Hamas personnel also died in related clashes. The official did not name the group or indicate whether it was suspected of receiving external support. The operation followed months of friction between Hamas and clan-based militias that grew in influence during the war.
The reappearance of armed Hamas units coincided with the transfer of the last living Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, two years after their abduction on 7th October 2023. Reuters footage showed dozens of fighters from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades outside a hospital in southern Gaza; one wore a “Shadow Unit” patch, a designation that Hamas sources have linked to hostage guarding.
The killings mirror earlier actions. On 22nd September, Hamas-led authorities said three men accused of collaborating with Israel were executed. International outlets carried footage from Gaza; independent verification of all materials remains limited.
The United States has set out a framework for a demilitarised Gaza administered by a Palestinian committee under international supervision, alongside a stabilisation mission to train and support a reformed police force. Speaking en route to the region on Monday, President Donald Trump suggested Hamas had temporary approval to police the enclave during the transition to avert a security vacuum: “We gave them approval for a period of time,” he said.
The ceasefire was formalised at an international gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh, where Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed a document with Mr Trump on Monday. The arrangement underpins exchanges and reconstruction planning but leaves open the question of Gaza’s internal security architecture and the future role of Hamas.
Local dynamics remain unsettled. Reporting has focused on confrontations in Gaza City, where residents and Hamas sources say clashes have often involved members of the Doghmosh clan. Attention has also centred on Yasser Abu Shabab, described by multiple accounts as leading an anti-Hamas faction around Rafah. A Gaza official claimed this week that Abu Shabab’s “right-hand man” had been killed; that assertion could not be independently verified.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this year that Israel had armed clans opposed to Hamas, without identifying them — a claim cited in several reports on shifting power balances inside the Strip. These assertions add to the picture of a fragmented security environment, in which rival armed networks challenge any single authority’s monopoly of force.
Parallel to the security moves, rights concerns have sharpened. The September executions drew scrutiny from international media and advocacy groups; Gaza’s justice process and due-process safeguards are likely to feature in any external response to the latest reported killings. Past episodes have prompted statements from multilateral bodies and Western governments, though language has varied according to verification and the wider diplomatic context.
For Washington, the immediate priority is to prevent a collapse of order during the truce while advancing disarmament and governance sequencing. Mr Trump has framed the temporary policing allowance as a practical measure, while insisting that Hamas ultimately disarm and cede power under a broader settlement. European positions typically track US signalling and humanitarian access considerations; capitals are expected to weigh any censure against the need to preserve the ceasefire and facilitate relief.
Media coverage across the region and internationally has foregrounded two themes: the visibility of Hamas armed patrols and the fragility of law and order after two years of conflict. Several outlets cited the 33 fatalities figure and referred to unverified execution footage circulating on social media. The picture is of a movement seeking to restore deterrence while navigating clan rivalries and external pressure over its future role.
Whether these developments draw formal condemnation from international institutions and governments — and whether they prompt street protests — will hinge on corroborated evidence and the framing of events in the coming days. For now, the ceasefire that took effect on 10th October remains in place; exchanges have proceeded; and armed cadres have re-entered public space under what the White House characterises as a time-limited remit. The trajectory will turn on verification of killings, the treatment of detainees, and the extent to which security operations are separated from reprisals that could destabilise the truce.
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