The BBC confirmed Tuesday that a graphic video circulating online shows Hamas terrorists executing eight bound Palestinian captives in a public square in Gaza. The executions were carried out in front of a crowd that cheered with cries of “Allahu Akbar.” BBC analysts verified the video’s authenticity by confirming the location through street layouts. Reuters also verified the footage through a Hamas source.
Hamas acknowledged the killings and claimed the victims were “criminals and collaborators with Israel.” The terrorist group has executed numerous Palestinians during the war in Gaza, routinely accusing its victims of treason without trial. Israeli media outlet Ynet News identified one of the victims as Ahmad Zidan al-Tarabin, who was accused of recruiting agents for the Abu Shabab militia, also known as the Popular Army. That group, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, is among the most powerful non-Hamas factions in Gaza.
Sources indicate that Hamas has been engaged in violent power struggles with rival gangs and clans, particularly as it attempts to reassert full control over Gaza following the Israeli military campaign. The BBC suggested the executed men may have been prisoners taken during recent infighting between Hamas and rival armed groups.
Over the weekend, at least 27 people were killed in fierce gun battles between Hamas fighters and members of the Dughmush clan near a former Jordanian hospital in Gaza City. Hamas reportedly deployed over 300 fighters into the neighborhood, which was a Dughmush stronghold. Local witnesses say terrified civilians fled as Hamas launched a full-scale assault using ambulances to position its gunmen.
Gaza medical sources said 19 of the dead belonged to the Dughmush family. Dughmush sources accused Hamas of attacking the building where family members had taken shelter after their homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes. Hamas claimed it was responding to an “armed assault by a militia.”
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as Hamas fighters dragged people away and burned homes. “They’re burning our houses. What did we do wrong?” cried the daughter of a Dughmush fighter.
I24 News reported that over 30 Palestinians have been executed by Hamas for “treason and collaboration” since the group released Israeli hostages on Monday morning. Many of the victims reportedly belonged to rival factions. Reuters also reported increasing numbers of armed Hamas fighters patrolling aid delivery routes and that dozens have been killed in recent intra-Palestinian clashes.
