Hamas carried out mass public executions in Gaza on Monday, mere hours after signing a peace agreement with Israel, as part of a series of violent reprisals following the withdrawal of Israeli troops, according to graphic video footage.
The footage shows eight blindfolded and severely beaten men kneeling in the street before being shot by Hamas gunmen in front of a crowd.
Hamas claimed the killings targeted “criminals and collaborators with Israel,” though it did not provide evidence to support the claim, the BBC reported. Among those executed was Ahmad Zidan al-Tarabin, who Israeli outlet Ynet News reported had allegedly recruited agents for a rival militia not aligned with Hamas.
Following Israel’s withdrawal, Hamas has moved quickly to reassert control over Gaza, targeting family-based armed groups, or “clans,” that had grown more powerful during the conflict.
Hamas’ deadly reprisals began even before the peace deal was officially signed. On Sunday, clashes with Hamas’ internal security forces reportedly left 52 members of the influential Dagmoush clan dead, along with 12 Hamas militants, including the son of senior official Bassem Naim. Reports indicate that militants stormed the clan’s neighborhood using ambulances. “It’s a massacre. They’re dragging people away, children are screaming and dying, they’re burning our houses. What did we do wrong?” a daughter of a clan member told Ynet News.
Earlier Monday, President Trump suggested he had authorized Hamas to manage internal security in Gaza “as it sees fit” temporarily, as part of the broader peace agreement aimed at returning remaining hostages to Israel.
“They [Hamas] do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “You have close to 2 million people going back to buildings that have been demolished, and a lot of bad things can happen. So we want it to be — we want it to be safe. I think it’s going to be fine. Who knows for sure,” he added.
Under the terms of Trump’s peace plan, Hamas was expected to disarm and relinquish governance of Gaza, a step the terror group has so far refused to take.