An internal civil war is raging in the ruins of Gaza. In recent days, a conflict has emerged between Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions attempting to challenge the organization’s dominance. The Gaza ceasefire “froze” the war between Israel and Hamas, but in its place, a civil power struggle appears to have erupted in the Palestinian enclave.
As the ceasefire holds for the sixth consecutive day, Gaza’s future remains uncertain. Hamas strengthens its control under the shadow of civil conflict while the Palestinian Authority demands to assume immediate responsibilities. The Palestinian Authority (PA), through President Mahmoud Abbas’s office, condemned the executions as “heinous crimes” and called for the restoration of “legitimate Palestinian leadership” in Gaza to stop the prevailing chaos, as international media reports indicate the Authority has expressed readiness to deploy police forces to the enclave to maintain order.
Restoring Palestinian state institutions is “the only path to stability and national confidence,” stated the Palestinian Authority president’s office. The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), an entity established by the Palestinian Authority in 1993, also demanded the immediate cessation of executions. “The wave of executions that took place after the ceasefire cannot be justified under any circumstances,” the Commission’s statement declared.
Der Waffenstillstand ist noch keine 100 Stunden alt, und die Hamas tötet Palästinenser.
Die Terrororganisation herrscht durch Angst: Sie exekutiert Zivilisten, foltert Andersdenkende und schießt auf jene, die es wagen zu protestieren.
Palästinenser, die nach Nahrung oder… pic.twitter.com/I3UfNFd3vl
— Botschaft Israel (@IsraelinGermany) October 14, 2025
Gaza: Trump’s statement on Hamas
“They neutralized some very bad gangs and killed many of their members,” Trump told reporters Tuesday evening, adding: “It didn’t particularly bother me. These are two very bad groups clashing with each other“.
The American president also confirmed he has temporarily approved Hamas’s policing role in Gaza until a post-war administration is formed.
“We want security,” he declared. “I hope everything will go well – although you never know,” he said in his characteristic manner.
Ashraf al-Mansi, head of civil guard in northern Gaza, stated in a Facebook video that his group “controls areas that Hamas has failed to recapture“.
He denied rumors that members of his civil guard were arrested or killed, claiming that “residents of the areas we liberated are safely returning to their homes“. Meanwhile, he warned that if Hamas attempts to enter his territories, “it will be confronted in the same way it confronts its opponents“.
According to resident testimonies, clashes continue in the Shujaiya neighborhood, in eastern Gaza City, where factions like the Hellis clan fight against Hamas security forces.
The civil war within Hamas
Leaked information shows Hamas has begun a crackdown against powerful clans challenging its authority since the war period with Israel. According to the Jerusalem Post, at the top of the list is the powerful Doghmosh clan, known for its influence in Gaza City, as well as the al-Majayda clan in Khan Younis. Other groups reportedly targeted include Abu Shabab and the Hosam al-Astal clan allegedly connected to Israel. In the Shujaiya neighborhood, the Hellis family has begun organizing resistance within areas that remain under Israeli control, the Post characteristically writes.
A security source revealed that Hamas recently established the so-called “Deterrence Force,” a new security unit conducting “continuous field operations” aimed at restoring “order” and eliminating “traitors,” the Times of Israel reports.
Monday evening, Hamas released a shocking video showing armed men publicly executing eight blindfolded, bound men kneeling in the street. The video was accompanied by an announcement that “collaborators and criminals were executed” – an act the organization justified as implementing the “death penalty” for those it labels traitors and Israeli collaborators.
