Hamas Crackdown In Gaza Risks Ceasefire As Order Restored

Hamas Crackdown In Gaza Risks Ceasefire As Order Restored

 

CAIRO — Hamas has reasserted control across Gaza, deploying security forces to restore order after months of chaos in areas vacated by Israeli troops. The militant group’s campaign — involving gun battles with rival factions and alleged executions of gang members — has sparked fears that the fragile ceasefire could unravel.

 

Hamas says the crackdown targets looters and criminal gangs that filled the power vacuum during Israel’s military campaign. Local witnesses reported that fighters loyal to Hamas killed more than 20 people in clashes with the Doghmush clan in Gaza City, accusing them of hijacking aid and working with Israel. Rights groups condemned the reported street executions as extrajudicial killings.

 

The renewed show of force comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan calls for Hamas to disarm and hand power to an internationally supervised authority — terms Hamas has not fully accepted. “They will disarm, and if they don’t, we will disarm them,” Trump warned.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the war will continue until Hamas is dismantled, while Hamas leaders argue they are merely preventing “chaos” until a new administration is formed. The group has announced a one-week amnesty for gang members not involved in killings, offering them a chance to surrender before facing prosecution.

 

Some Gazans welcome the return of Hamas police as a sign of normalcy after two years of devastation, but others fear it signals the group’s determination to remain the real power in Gaza — potentially jeopardizing the tenuous truce.

 

Key Takeaways

• Hamas security forces are back on Gaza’s streets, clashing with gangs and rivals.

• Rights groups denounce reports of summary executions during the crackdown.

• The power struggle could destabilize the ceasefire demanded by Trump and Netanyahu.

 

Source: Associated Press