Gaza ceasefire turns into chaos: 27 killed as Hamas, local Doghmush clan clash in fierce gunfight
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Gaza ceasefire turns into chaos: 27 killed as Hamas, local Doghmush clan clash in fierce gunfight")
File Photo: Gaza Photograph: (AFP)
Reports suggest that at least 27 people have been killed in the latest bout of violence in Gaza, this time an internal strife between Hamas and a Gaza clan, 'Doghmush'. Here's all you need to know.
Gaza citizens, hoping for peace after the much-awaited ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, have now been forced to face fierce internal conflict. Reports suggest that at least 27 people have been killed in the latest bout of violence in Gaza, this time an internal strife between Hamas and a Gaza clan, 'Doghmush'. The ongoing clashes are proving to be one of the most violent confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations, which ended just days ago. The situation can be summed up by something a Gaza resident said, as reported by the BBC: "This time people weren't fleeing Israeli attacks...They were running from their own people."
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What is happening in Gaza?
Reports suggest that last week, clashes broke out between the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and the Doghmush clan soon after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
According to BBC, masked Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with armed clan members near the Jordanian Hospital. Citing medical sources, the publication further reported that 19 Dughmush fighters and eight Hamas personnel were killed during the fighting.
Residents described scenes of panic as families fled under heavy gunfire. “This time, people weren’t fleeing Israeli attacks. They were running from their own people,” one resident said.
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What led to the violence?
The clashes erupted in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood after a Hamas force of more than 300 fighters attempted to storm a residential block where Dughmush gunmen were entrenched. Both sides blamed each other for triggering the violence.
Hamas said Dughmush fighters had killed two of its members and wounded five, prompting the operation. The Dughmush family, however, claimed Hamas attempted to evict them from a building previously used as the Jordanian Hospital to establish a new base.
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Hamas warns criminal gangs
Hamas, as per reports, has recalled about 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas recently vacated by Israeli troops, with units deployed across several districts. The group's interior ministry said that its fighters were looking to restore order and warned that “any armed activity outside the framework of the resistance” would be dealt with firmly.
The Palestinian militant group claims that the Dughmush family has been affiliated with Israel; however, the Gaza clan denied collaborating with Tel Aviv but admitted that some members had committed “transgressions,” reports AFP. It also accused Hamas of targeting all family members indiscriminately.
