Gaza City Confrontations Between Hamas and Family Members Result in 27 Fatalities.
No fewer than 27 people have been lost in violent clashes between Hamas fighters and militants of the Dughmush family in the Gaza urban area, marking among the deadliest intra-Palestinian conflicts since the end of large-scale Israeli military actions in the enclave.
Concealed Hamas militants exchanged fire with tribal combatants near the city's healthcare center, according to observers.
Authority Account
A senior official in the Hamas-controlled interior ministry stated that armed units surrounded them and participated in intense combat to apprehend them. The ministry reported that eight its members were killed in "a militant attack by a paramilitary force".
Hospital representatives confirmed that nineteen Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been lost their lives since fighting began on recently.
Eyewitness Testimonies
Observers reported that the clashes erupted in the Tel al-Hawa district in the southern part of Gaza City after a Hamas unit of over 300 militants moved to storm a apartment building where Dughmush militants were entrenched.
Civilians described scenes of panic as many residents evacuated their residences under heavy gunfire, with a significant number having been forced to move frequently during the war.
"In this instance civilians weren't running from Israeli assaults," an eyewitness stated. "They were escaping from their own people."
Historical Strain
The Dughmush family, among Gaza's notable families, has historically maintained a tense relationship with the governing authority, and its fighter elements have engaged in violence with the movement on several occasions in the past.
The interior ministry under Hamas administration declared its units were seeking to restore order, cautioning that "all militant actions outside the framework of the Palestinian resistance" would be handled strictly.
Contradictory Narratives
The two parties traded accusations over which party was accountable for triggering the clashes.
Hamas previously stated that Dughmush gunmen eliminated two its militants and injured five additional members, resulting in the movement to launch an operation against them.
Conversely, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas forces had approached a facility that formerly operated as the Jordanian Hospital, where the tribe had found sanctuary after their homes in the al-Sabra district were demolished in the recent Israeli attack.
The insider claimed that the authority tried to expel the family from the building to set up a fresh headquarters for its units there.
Broader Background
Hamas has reactivated about 7,000 members of its security units to reestablish dominance over Gaza regions formerly abandoned by Israeli forces, according to regional insiders.
Reports suggest that armed Hamas units have been stationed across several districts, with some wearing civilian clothes and additional elements in the blue attire of the Gaza security forces. The Hamas media office disputed that it was stationing combatants in urban zones.
