A minimum of 27 people have been killed in intense clashes between Hamas fighters and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, marking one of the most violent internal clashes since the cessation of major Israeli operations in the territory.
Masked Hamas fighters engaged in shooting with family militants near the city's Jordanian hospital, according to observers.
Authority Statement
A high-ranking officer in the Hamas-controlled interior ministry stated that security forces encircled them and participated in intense combat to detain them. The ministry reported that 8 its fighters were fatally wounded in "an armed assault by a armed group".
Healthcare officials confirmed that 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been fatally injured since violence erupted on Saturday.
Eyewitness Reports
Observers reported that the violence commenced in the Tel al-Hawa area in south Gaza City after a Hamas force of over 300 militants advanced to attack a residential block where Dughmush militants were fortified.
Local inhabitants described chaotic situations as many residents escaped their dwellings under heavy gunfire, with numerous individuals having been relocated repeatedly during the war.
"On this occasion people weren't fleeing Israeli offensives," an eyewitness stated. "They were escaping from their fellow Palestinians."
Long-Standing Tensions
The Dughmush tribe, a significant Gaza family, has consistently experienced a conflictual dynamic with the governing authority, and its armed members have engaged in violence with the organization on numerous times in the past.
The interior ministry under Hamas administration declared its units were seeking to restore order, cautioning that "any armed activity not within the system of the resistance" would be handled strictly.
Opposing Versions
Each faction leveled charges over who initiated the violence for triggering the clashes.
Hamas earlier said that Dughmush militants fatally wounded 2 its fighters and hurt five more personnel, resulting in the organization to launch an operation against them.
Conversely, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas forces had approached a structure that once served as the Jordanian healthcare facility, where the clan had sought shelter after their dwellings in the al-Sabra area were demolished in the latest Israeli offensive.
The representative claimed that Hamas attempted to remove the family from the structure to set up a fresh headquarters for its personnel there.
Broader Background
Hamas has mobilized around 7,000 fighters of its security units to reestablish dominance over Gaza regions previously evacuated by Israeli forces, according to area informants.
Information indicates that Hamas combat groups have already deployed across several districts, with some wearing civilian clothes and additional elements in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police. The Hamas communication department rejected that it was positioning militants in public areas.
