by Ellie Leon
Palestinian sources report security chaos in the Gaza Strip, as Hamas gunmen clash with local clans in Beit Lahia and the Sabra neighborhood, and the son of a Hamas official was reportedly killed.
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Following a wave of armed clashes between Hamas terrorists and local Palestinian groups, Palestinian sources are reporting a widespread breakdown in security across the Gaza Strip.
In Beit Lahia, an exchange of gunfire erupted between gunmen affiliated with Ashraf al-Mansi and Hamas forces. At the same time, another confrontation was reported in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City between the Dajmash clan and Hamas, during which Muhammad Imad Aql, the son of a senior Hamas military commander who was previously assassinated, was killed.
Hamas forces surrounded the al-Dhamsha family neighborhood in the al-Sabra area of Gaza City on Friday night. Schools and residential towers were evacuated, while snipers and a large number of masked, armed men were deployed throughout the area.
Hamas views the rebellious clans as a direct threat to its control over Gaza City, according to Palestinian sources. During the war, Hamas executed the mukhtar (chief) of the Dajmash clan — one of the armed families in northern Gaza — fearing that Israel might try to use the clan against it. As part of its efforts to suppress the uprising, Hamas sent senior fighters to attempt an assassination of Yasser Abu Shabab, leader of the Rafah militia. The assassination attempt failed.
Meanwhile, Hussam al-Astal, commander of an armed group opposed to Hamas in Khan Yunis, published a defiant post on his Facebook page, harshly attacking the organization.
Al-Astal also referred to last week’s clashes, when Hamas allegedly tried to launch an attack against the al-Majaida clan in Khan Yunis. According to him, Hamas gunmen hid inside Nasser Hospital and a nearby mosque, from where they fired RPGs and explosives at the clan’s members. The IDF, he claimed, assisted in eliminating the Hamas cell through an airstrike that killed at least 22 militants. The IDF spokesperson confirmed the existence of the strike.
Following these events, Hamas officials issued calls for revenge against the armed groups that, according to them, cooperated with Israel. Channels affiliated with the organization reported their intention to “settle accounts” with the groups’ leaders — including Abu Shabab, al-Astal, Rami Khalas, and al-Mansi.
The rival groups — among them Abu Shabab’s “Popular Forces” — operate mainly in areas that, according to the first stage of the ceasefire arrangement, will not be evacuated by the IDF: eastern Rafah, parts of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, and eastern Khan Yunis — regions located outside both the “yellow line” and even the “red line” on the proposed map of the agreement.
Al-Astal declared that his men continue to operate: “Let the Hamas dogs not rejoice — we are here, and they are the ones who will fall.”
Sources close to Abu Shabab likewise stated that his forces are undeterred by the threats.
A senior member of the group was quoted as saying, “Just as Hamas gave in under pressure and agreed to release hostages, so too will it eventually give up its heavy weapons.”
Ellie Leon
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-870079
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