The Media Line: Hamas Battles Rival Clans To Reassert Control of Gaza  

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Hamas Battles Rival Clans To Reassert Control of Gaza  

By The Media Line Staff  

Hamas has begun a sweeping campaign to reestablish control over the Gaza Strip, deploying thousands of armed operatives and security forces into areas recently vacated by Israeli troops. Local reports describe escalating clashes between Hamas and rival clans, leaving several dead and deepening fears of internal conflict just days after the ceasefire took effect.  

The Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported that armed Hamas fighters in northern Gaza have been hunting down militias opposed to their rule. Members of the Internal Security branch and Hamas’ military intelligence wing have deployed across the Jabaliya area and the city’s northeast, killing or arresting suspected rivals. Similar operations were seen in southern Gaza, where militia leader Hussam al-Astal denied reports that Hamas had killed a fellow anti-Hamas commander, calling the claims “fabrications.”  

The renewed violence erupted after Hamas recalled roughly 7,000 members of its security forces to “cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel,” according to messages sent to fighters. New governors with military backgrounds were appointed, and armed units—some disguised in civilian clothing—began patrolling districts across Gaza City.  

In the Sabra neighborhood, tensions exploded after two members of Hamas’ elite forces, including the son of a senior commander, were shot dead by the Doghmush clan. Hamas quickly surrounded the area, where hundreds of clan gunmen were believed to be holed up. Witnesses said one clan member was killed and dozens were detained. The Doghmush family, accused of looting Hamas weapons depots during the war, has long resisted Hamas rule.  

Fighting also spread to Beit Lahia and Khan Yunis, where rival commanders such as Yasser Abu Shabab and al-Astal denounced Hamas for “turning its weapons on the people.” In Rafah, a failed assassination attempt on Abu Shabab heightened tensions. Hamas media channels vowed to “settle accounts” with leaders accused of cooperating with Israel, listing several rival figures as targets.  

A Hamas official abroad defended the group’s crackdown, saying, “We cannot leave Gaza at the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the occupation.” But former Palestinian Authority security officers and local analysts warned that Gaza was “flooded with arms” and could face another wave of civil strife. Human rights advocate Khalil Abu Shammala cautioned that Hamas’ efforts to maintain influence could “jeopardize the peace agreement and plunge Gaza’s residents into even greater suffering.”