Armed clans battle Hamas for Gaza control after ceasefire deal

Gaza has descended into clan warfare as Hamas battles 400-strong militias for supremacy, with public executions and gunfights breaking out across the war-torn strip. See who they are.

As the ceasefire settles across Gaza after more than two years of war, a weakened Hamas is facing internal challenges from four major clans vying to take control of the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

After agreeing to a peace deal with Israel on Friday, Hamas sought to reassert its power over the Gaza Strip, sending out its forces en masse to police the streets and kill dozens of opponents.

While Hamas claims that 7000 fighters have been deployed to “cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators,” the terror group faces a hurdle against the enclave’s armed gangs, including the Popular Force, the Doghmosh, the Al-Majayda and the Hellis – some of whom have been reportedly backed by Israel.

“Intense clashes broke out – and are still ongoing at the moment – as part of efforts to eliminate collaborators,” said witness Yahya, who asked not to be named in full for fear of retribution.

“We heard intense gunfire and explosions, and the security forces arrested some of them. We support this,” Mohammed said, also asking not to be named in full.

But who are these armed clans fighting for control in Gaza’s newly formed power vacuum?

Members of the internal security forces loyal to Hamas are deployed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Picture: AFP

THE POPULAR FORCES MILITIA

One of the key men opposing Hamas’ rule in Gaza is Yasser Abu Shabab, who leads the so-called Popular Forces militia operating in the south.

Shabab has allegedly recruited hundreds of fighters to his militia by offering attractive salaries, with the Popular Forces estimated to have around 400 men, sources told Reuters.

Shabab is also allegedly backed by Israel, with reports emerging over the summer that the Jewish state gifted anti-Hamas militias with weapons to help oppose the terror group and the Popular Forces being the top group benefiting from the help, UN officials told The Washington Post.

The militia has since expanded its control past the southern city of Rafah, with the group policing areas under the Israeli military.

Shabab has denied the allegations that his group was backed by Israel, claiming it was nothing more than Hamas propaganda.

Shabab, who has been touted by Israeli media as the man who can steer Gaza in a new direction, had also been linked to the widespread looting of humanitarian aid, allegations he admitted to but defended as necessary to ward off hunger in the neighbourhoods he controls.

Armed clans roam the streets as displaced people return to Gaza City. Picture: AFP

THE DOGHMOSH CLAN

The Doghmosh clan remains one of the largest and most powerful armed groups in Gaza, with its leader, Mumtaz Doghmosh, once declaring his allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group.

Doghmosh was also the man behind the “Army of Islam” extremist group, which helped Hamas co-ordinate the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006 – a high-profile incident that eventually saw the release of October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar.

While Doghmosh has not been seen since the war with Israel broke out, his men have repeatedly clashed with Hamas, with at least 27 people killed over the weekend, the BBC reported.

Residents described chaos in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood as hundreds of Hamas fighters advanced on a residential block defended by the armed clan, sparking intense street battles.

Several Palestinian activists who praised al-Jafarawi claimed he was killed during the recent clashes with Doghmosh around Gaza City.

Gaza’s Ministry of Interior said the clashes were aimed at targeting “an armed militia affiliated with the [Israeli] occupation,” Al Jazeera reported.

It remains unclear if Israel has ever propped up the Doghmosh clan, given its ties to the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Civilians have reported continuous fighting following the ceasefire deal. Picture: AFP

THE AL-MAJAYDA CLAN

The al-Majayda clan serves as another powerful group situated in southern Gaza, specifically Khan Yunis, where its members have fought with Hamas in recent months.

Hamas raided the group, led by Hussam al-Astal, earlier this month, which resulted in a bloody shootout that killed several people, according to the terror group.

Al-Astal has been previously accused of being supported by Israel, with Israeli media linking him to Shabab’s anti-Hamas forces, something the al Majayda leader denies.

Al-Astal has touted himself as a saviour to Hamas rule, offering safety for Palestinians in the war-torn enclave, and claiming the resistance in Gaza would “topple Hamas fighters for good,” Ynet reported.

The clan leader, however, has recently taken a softer approach with the terror group, with al Majayda issuing a statement on Monday that it was in full support of Hamas’ move to establish law and order in Gaza.

Hamas claims that 7000 fighters have been deployed to cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators.’ Picture: AFP

THE HELLIS

The Hellis stand as another large clan that operates in defiance of Hamas, with the armed gang controlling parts of Gaza City’s Shejaia suburb.

The Hellis’ leader, Rami Hellis, had joined together with a local clan led by Ahmed Jundeya to take control of the Shejaia areas still under control by the Israeli military.

The gang has repeatedly clashed with Hamas since the terrorist group seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, with the Hellis politically aligned with the Fatah Party that Hamas ousted and that currently rules over the West Bank.

While the Hellis are operating in areas occupied by Israel, it remains unclear whether it was one of the local clans the Jewish state backed in its fight against Hamas.

Tens of thousands of exhausted Palestinians made their way back to their devastated homes. Picture: AFP

Deadly confrontation has already broken out across the Gaza Strip, including a shootout that reportedly killed Saleh al-Jafarawi, a Palestinian influencer known as “Mr. FAFO” over his anti-Israeli, pro-Hamas social media videos.

Despite the opposition and loss of a valuable mouthpiece, Hamas maintains that it will remain in power and crack down on the armed gangs, with the terror group even holding gruesome public executions to weed out “criminals and collaborators with Israel.”

Hamas published a video on its official channel showing the street execution of eight blindfolded and kneeling suspects, branding them “collaborators and outlaws”.

The footage, apparently from Monday evening, emerged as armed clashes were underway between Hamas’s various security units and armed Palestinian clans in parts of the territory, on the fifth day of a US-brokered truce between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas carrying out street executions in front of crowds of civilians. Picture: X

Despite tensions, for many Palestinians rebuilding their homes and lives amid Gaza’s rubble, the sight of the militants was reassuring.

“After the war ended and the police spread out in the streets, we started to feel safe,” said 34-year-old Abu Fadi Al-Banna, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

“They began organising traffic and clearing the markets, removing the street vendors who were blocking the roads. We felt protected from thugs and thieves.”
Hamdiya Shammiya, 40, who was driven from her home in northern Gaza by the fighting to seek shelter in the southern city Khan Yunis, agreed.

“Thank God the war is finally over. We’ve started to breathe a little,” she said.

– additional reporting AFP

This story originally appeared in the New York Post

Originally published as Armed clans battle Hamas for Gaza control after ceasefire deal