Gaza City Clashes Involving Palestinian Movement and Clan Members Leave 27 Dead.
A minimum of 27 people have been killed in violent clashes between Hamas fighters and militants of the Dughmush clan in the Gaza urban area, marking a particularly severe internal confrontations since the conclusion of major Israeli operations in the territory.
Disguised Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with clan fighters near the city's healthcare center, according to witnesses.
Ministry Report
A senior official in the Hamas-controlled interior ministry stated that security units encircled them and entered fierce battles to apprehend them. The department reported that eight of its personnel were killed in "an armed assault by a militia".
Healthcare officials confirmed that nineteen Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been fatally injured since violence erupted on the weekend.
Local Accounts
Eyewitnesses reported that the confrontations broke out in the Tel al-Hawa area in south Gaza City after a Hamas contingent of 300+ combatants advanced to attack a apartment building where Dughmush fighters were entrenched.
Local inhabitants described frightening moments as dozens of families escaped their dwellings under heavy gunfire, with a significant number having been relocated repeatedly during the war.
"In this instance residents weren't escaping Israeli offensives," one resident stated. "They were running from their own people."
Existing Tensions
The Dughmush clan, one of Gaza's most prominent clans, has long had a tense relationship with the ruling movement, and its militant members have confronted the movement on multiple instances in the previous years.
The Hamas-controlled interior ministry declared its forces were working to reinstate stability, alerting that "every paramilitary operation beyond the structure of the resistance" would be dealt with firmly.
Contradictory Narratives
The two parties traded accusations over which party was accountable for starting the conflict.
The organization initially reported that Dughmush militants killed two its fighters and injured five additional members, leading to the movement to launch an operation against them.
In contrast, a Dughmush family representative informed Palestinian outlets that Hamas forces had come to a building that once served as the Jordanian medical center, where the family had found sanctuary after their homes in the al-Sabra district were demolished in the previous Israeli assault.
The source alleged that the authority attempted to remove the clan from the premises to create a different command center for its units there.
Broader Background
Hamas has mobilized approximately 7,000 personnel of its security forces to reestablish dominance over areas of Gaza previously evacuated by Israeli troops, according to regional insiders.
Reports suggest that Hamas combat groups have already deployed across several districts, with particular units in non-uniform clothing and additional elements in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police. The Hamas media office disputed that it was stationing combatants in urban zones.
