Hamas security forces were tightening their grip on Gaza’s ruined cities Tuesday even as global support mounted for a US-backed deal that would see them disarmed.
When bus loads of prisoners freed from Israeli jails arrived in Gaza on Monday, fighters from Hamas’s Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades provided crowd control.
In the north of the territory, as Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza City, the Hamas government’s black-masked armed police resumed street patrols.
Meanwhile, a Hamas security unit has been conducting operations against armed clans and gangs, some alleged to have Israeli backing.
“Intense clashes broke out — and are still ongoing at the moment — as part of efforts to eliminate collaborators,” said witness Yahya, who asked not to be named in full for fear of retribution.
– Explosions and arrests –
Another Gaza resident, Mohammed, told AFP: “For long hours this morning there were heavy clashes between Hamas security forces and members of the Hilles family.”
The fighting was in Shujaiya, in the east of Gaza City, close to the so-called Yellow Line, behind which Israeli units still hold roughly half of Gaza.
“We heard intense gunfire and explosions, and the security forces arrested some of them. We support this,” Mohammed said, also asking not to be named in full.
A Palestinian security source in Gaza told AFP that Hamas’s security body, a recently established unit whose name translates as “Deterrence Force”, was conducting “ongoing field operations to ensure security and stability”.
“Our message is clear: There will be no place for outlaws or those who threaten the security of citizens,” he said.
– Troops open fire –
Hamas accused Israel of breaking the truce by opening fire during the clashes. The military said it had only fired when unidentified Palestinians approached the Yellow Line.
“Attempts were made to distance the suspects,” a military statement said.
“The suspects did not comply and continued approaching the troops, who opened fire to remove the threat.”
Hamas has, since it crushed its rival Fatah in armed clashes, been the dominant Palestinian faction in Gaza since 2007.
Israel insists Hamas can have no role in a future Gaza government and must hand back the remains of 24 more deceased hostages and eventually disarm.
US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan says that Hamas members who agree to “decommission their weapons” will be given amnesty.
The 20-point document, endorsed Monday by world powers at a Trump-chaired summit in Egypt, also says Gaza will be demilitarised and Hamas have no leadership role.
– Thugs and thieves –
But for many Palestinians rebuilding their homes and lives Tuesday amid Gaza’s rubble, the sight of the Hamas militants was reassuring.
“After the war ended and the police spread out in the streets, we started to feel safe,” said 34-year-old Abu Fadi Al-Banna, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
“They began organising traffic and clearing the markets, removing the street vendors who were blocking the roads. We felt protected from thugs and thieves.”
Hamdiya Shammiya, 40-year-old from who was driven from her home in northern Gaza by the fighting to seek shelter in the southern city Khan Yunis, agreed.
“Thank God the war is finally over. We’ve started to breathe a little,” she said.
“Our lives now need patience, order and the safety that the police have started to restore. We’ve already noticed a bit of improvement,” she told AFP.
While Palestinians sought stability, Israeli families stepped up pressure for the return of the remains of 24 deceased hostages still held in Gaza.
Following the Trump-brokered ceasefire last Friday, 20 surviving hostages returned to scenes of rejoicing, while the remains of four deceased were also handed back.
– Bodies identified –
But the deal called for the return of all the missing — living and dead — and hostage families and Israeli leaders have demanded Hamas comply.
The military said Tuesday the bodies of four hostages returned by Hamas have been identified, including that of a Nepalese student.
In a statement, the military named two of the victims as Guy Iluz, an Israeli national, and Bipin Joshi, an agriculture student from Nepal.
The names of the other two hostages have not yet been released at the request of their families, the statement added.
“The return of Guy and Bipin … brings some measure of comfort to families who have lived with agonising uncertainty and doubt for over two years,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“We will not rest until all 24 hostages are brought home,” it said.
– ‘We’ll have to see’ –
On Monday, Trump was in Jerusalem where he sought to celebrate, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the truce and Gaza plan as a win.
Then, in Egypt, he joined regional leaders in signing a declaration meant to cement the ceasefire.
Addressing the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump noted “a lot of people like the one state solution, some people like the two state solutions.
“We’ll have to see,” he said. “I will decide what I think is right, but I’d be in coordination with other states and other countries.”
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