A minimum of 27 individuals have been lost in fierce clashes between Hamas armed units and militants of the Dughmush tribe in Gaza City, marking a particularly severe intra-Palestinian conflicts since the cessation of extensive Israeli campaigns in the enclave.
Disguised Hamas gunmen traded gunfire with family militants near the city's Jordanian hospital, according to witnesses.
Official Account
A high-ranking officer in the Hamas-run interior ministry stated that armed units blockaded them and entered fierce battles to apprehend them. The authority reported that eight its members were lost in "an armed assault by a paramilitary force".
Hospital representatives confirmed that 19 Dughmush tribe militants and eight Hamas fighters had been lost their lives since violence erupted on the weekend.
Local Testimonies
Observers reported that the violence broke out in the Tel al-Hawa area in the southern part of Gaza City after a Hamas contingent of 300+ combatants advanced to attack a residential block where Dughmush fighters were entrenched.
Residents described chaotic situations as dozens of families evacuated their residences under intense shooting, with numerous individuals having been displaced multiple times during the conflict.
"In this instance people weren't fleeing Israeli assaults," one resident stated. "They were escaping from their own people."
Historical Strain
The Dughmush family, a significant Gaza family, has long had a strained relationship with Hamas, and its fighter elements have engaged in violence with the group on several occasions in the earlier periods.
The interior ministry under Hamas administration said its forces were seeking to restore order, cautioning that "every paramilitary operation outside the framework of the resistance" would be handled strictly.
Opposing Versions
Both sides traded accusations over who initiated the violence for instigating the violence.
Hamas initially reported that Dughmush gunmen fatally wounded 2 its combatants and injured five others, prompting the movement to commence a mission against them.
Conversely, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas units had arrived at a structure that formerly operated as the Jordanian Hospital, where the tribe had taken refuge after their homes in the al-Sabra neighbourhood were destroyed in the latest Israeli offensive.
The insider claimed that the movement attempted to remove the family from the building to create a different command center for its forces there.
Larger Background
Hamas has reactivated about 7,000 members of its security forces to reinforce authority over Gaza territories recently vacated by Israeli troops, according to regional insiders.
Reports suggest that armed Hamas units have been stationed across multiple areas, with some wearing civilian clothes and the remainder in the blue attire of the Gaza security forces. The Hamas media office denied that it was stationing combatants in urban zones.
