At least 27 people have been claimed in fierce exchanges between Hamas fighters and militants of the Dughmush tribe in the Gaza urban area, marking a particularly severe internal clashes since the end of major Israeli operations in the region.
Disguised Hamas gunmen engaged in shooting with family militants near the city's medical facility, according to witnesses.
Ministry Statement
A high-ranking officer in the Hamas-run interior ministry stated that armed units encircled them and engaged in heavy fighting to apprehend them. The ministry reported that eight of its fighters were killed in "a militant attack by a militia".
Healthcare officials confirmed that 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas security personnel had been fatally injured since conflict started on Saturday.
Eyewitness Reports
Observers reported that the confrontations erupted in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in the southern part of Gaza City after a Hamas contingent of more than 300 fighters advanced to attack a housing complex where Dughmush gunmen were fortified.
Local inhabitants described scenes of panic as dozens of families fled their homes under heavy gunfire, with a significant number having been displaced multiple times during the hostilities.
"In this instance residents weren't escaping Israeli assaults," a local inhabitant stated. "They were fleeing from members of their community."
Historical Strain
The Dughmush clan, one of Gaza's most prominent clans, has long had a conflictual dynamic with the ruling movement, and its fighter elements have engaged in violence with the organization on numerous times in the past.
The interior ministry under Hamas administration declared its personnel were working to reinstate stability, cautioning that "any armed activity not within the system of the Palestinian resistance" would be dealt with firmly.
Contradictory Accounts
The two parties exchanged blame over which party was accountable for starting the conflict.
The movement earlier said that Dughmush gunmen killed two of its militants and injured five more personnel, prompting the movement to launch an operation against them.
In contrast, a Dughmush family representative stated to regional press that Hamas units had arrived at a building that once served as the Jordanian healthcare facility, where the clan had taken refuge after their homes in the al-Sabra area were devastated in the latest Israeli offensive.
The source claimed that Hamas attempted to remove the family from the premises to create a different command center for its units there.
Larger Context
Hamas has mobilized about 7,000 members of its security forces to reestablish dominance over Gaza regions previously evacuated by Israeli forces, according to regional insiders.
Reports suggest that Hamas combat groups have been stationed across various neighborhoods, with certain members in plain attire and additional elements in the blue gear of the Gaza law enforcement. The Hamas communication department rejected that it was deploying "fighters in the streets".
