Why Have Clashes Erupted in Gaza City Despite Ceasefire, Killing At Least 27?

At least 27 people were killed in fierce clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, officials and witnesses said Sunday. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as masked Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with clan fighters near the city’s Jordanian Hospital. A senior official in the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said security units surrounded the area and engaged in heavy fighting to detain armed men. The ministry confirmed that eight of its members were killed in what it called “an armed assault by a militia.” Medical sources said 19 members of the Dughmush clan were also killed. The fighting erupted on Saturday in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in southern Gaza City, when more than 300 Hamas fighters stormed a residential block where Dughmush gunmen had taken up positions, according to eyewitnesses. Residents reported widespread panic as families fled under heavy gunfire. Many of those escaping had already been displaced several times during the war.Also Read: ‘Not Over’ – Netanyahu’s Big Warning Ahead of Israeli Hostage Release “This time people weren’t fleeing Israeli attacks,” one resident said. “They were running from their own people.” The Dughmush family is one of Gaza’s largest and most influential clans. Its members have clashed with Hamas on multiple occasions over the years, often over issues of local authority and control. In a statement, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said its forces were working to “restore order,” warning that “any armed activity outside the framework of the resistance” would be dealt with firmly. Both sides accused the other of provoking the confrontation. Hamas said Dughmush gunmen had killed two of its fighters and wounded five others, prompting its operation against them. But a Dughmush family source told local media that Hamas forces had arrived at a building that once served as the Jordanian Hospital, where members of the family had taken refuge after their homes in the al-Sabra neighborhood were destroyed during recent Israeli strikes. The source claimed Hamas sought to evict the family from the building to establish a new base for its forces there. Local sources said Hamas had recalled roughly 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas vacated by Israeli troops. Armed units have reportedly been deployed across several Gaza districts, with some personnel in civilian clothing and others wearing blue police uniforms. The Hamas media office denied reports that it was deploying “fighters in the streets.”