At least 27 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Hamas fighters and militants of the Dughmush clan in the Gaza urban area, marking one of the most violent internal confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations in the enclave.
Concealed Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with clan fighters near the city's Jordanian hospital, according to local sources.
Ministry Report
A top authority in the interior ministry under Hamas stated that security units blockaded them and entered fierce battles to apprehend them. The department reported that 8 its personnel were lost in "a militant attack by a paramilitary force".
Hospital representatives confirmed that 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas militants had been lost their lives since violence erupted on recently.
On-the-Ground Testimonies
Eyewitnesses reported that the violence commenced in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in southern Gaza City after a Hamas force of more than 300 fighters advanced to attack a apartment building where Dughmush militants were dug in.
Local inhabitants described frightening moments as dozens of families fled their homes under heavy gunfire, with many of them having been displaced multiple times during the war.
"On this occasion civilians weren't running from Israeli offensives," a local inhabitant stated. "They were escaping from their fellow Palestinians."
Historical Tensions
The Dughmush family, one of Gaza's most prominent clans, has historically maintained a conflictual dynamic with the governing authority, and its fighter elements have engaged in violence with the movement on numerous times in the previous years.
The Hamas-run interior ministry stated its forces were working to reinstate stability, cautioning that "all militant actions not within the system of the national struggle" would be dealt with firmly.
Conflicting Versions
The two parties leveled charges over who initiated the violence for starting the conflict.
Hamas previously stated that Dughmush militants eliminated two its combatants and injured five more personnel, leading to the group to commence a mission against them.
However, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas forces had arrived at a structure that once served as the Jordanian Hospital, where the tribe had sought shelter after their dwellings in the al-Sabra district were devastated in the recent Israeli attack.
The insider alleged that the movement tried to expel the tribe from the premises to establish a new base for its personnel there.
Wider Background
Hamas has recalled around 7,000 fighters of its security units to reassert control over areas of Gaza previously evacuated by Israeli military, according to regional insiders.
Reports suggest that Hamas combat groups have been positioned across multiple areas, with some wearing civilian clothes and the remainder in the blue attire of the Gaza law enforcement. The Hamas media office rejected that it was deploying "fighters in the streets".
