Dozens were killed in Gaza on Sunday amid violent clashes between Hamas militants and local militia, just hours before an expected release of hostages in the war-torn enclave, according to local reports.
The fighting erupted in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City between Hamas forces and members of the powerful Doghmush clan, also known as the Al Doghmush family militia. Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the Hamas Interior Ministry accused the clan of attacking its forces, while members of the Doghmush family said Hamas used the ceasefire as cover to strike them over alleged cooperation with Israel.
According to the outlet, 52 members of the Doghmush clan and 12 Hamas militants were killed in the fighting. Hamas’s television channel claimed that among the dead was Hamas propagandist Salah al-Ja‘farawi, who had celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks online, saying he was shot by “armed gangs operating outside the law.”
Nicknamed on social media “Mr. Fafo,” al-Ja‘farawi played many roles, including dead bodies, as part of Hamas propaganda.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the son of senior Hamas official Basem Naim was also killed. A senior clan member urged calm, saying, “We still say – you must not shed Muslim blood by a Muslim.”
Hamas’s Interior and National Security Ministry later announced a “clemency framework” giving militias and criminals not involved in bloodshed until next Sunday to surrender, warning that those who refuse will be “punished severely.”
The violence came just before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a televised address describing the upcoming hostage release as “the beginning of a new path.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog cautioned that “the campaign is not over. There are still very great security challenges ahead of us.”
As the fighting raged, three anti-Hamas militias reportedly declared their support for President Trump’s peace proposal, rejecting Hamas’s authority over Gaza.
The fighting erupted in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City between Hamas forces and members of the powerful Doghmush clan, also known as the Al Doghmush family militia. Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the Hamas Interior Ministry accused the clan of attacking its forces, while members of the Doghmush family said Hamas used the ceasefire as cover to strike them over alleged cooperation with Israel.
According to the outlet, 52 members of the Doghmush clan and 12 Hamas militants were killed in the fighting. Hamas’s television channel claimed that among the dead was Hamas propagandist Salah al-Ja‘farawi, who had celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks online, saying he was shot by “armed gangs operating outside the law.”
Nicknamed on social media “Mr. Fafo,” al-Ja‘farawi played many roles, including dead bodies, as part of Hamas propaganda.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the son of senior Hamas official Basem Naim was also killed. A senior clan member urged calm, saying, “We still say – you must not shed Muslim blood by a Muslim.”
Hamas’s Interior and National Security Ministry later announced a “clemency framework” giving militias and criminals not involved in bloodshed until next Sunday to surrender, warning that those who refuse will be “punished severely.”
The violence came just before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a televised address describing the upcoming hostage release as “the beginning of a new path.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog cautioned that “the campaign is not over. There are still very great security challenges ahead of us.”
As the fighting raged, three anti-Hamas militias reportedly declared their support for President Trump’s peace proposal, rejecting Hamas’s authority over Gaza.
