FIRST ON FOX:A senior Hamas official defended the group’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza on Friday, telling Reuters that such measures were necessary. Concurrently, a Gazan lawyer, currently in hiding from the group, claimed that the executions of Hamas’s critics are ongoing.
In an exclusive interview from Gaza, Moumen Al-Natour, a lawyer, former Hamas political prisoner, and president of Palestinian Youth for Development, revealed that Hamas fighters emerged from underground tunnels following the ceasefire. He stated, “After the fire stopped, Hamas fighters came out of the tunnels and massacred families that opposed them,” adding, “They are sending a signal that they are back — by terrorizing people.”
Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal defended the executions to Reuters on Friday, asserting that “exceptional measures” were always necessary during the war and that those executed were criminals guilty of killing.
On Thursday, President Trump issued a warning on Truth Social after video footage circulated online showing Hamas fighters executing Palestinians in Gaza City’s main square. He wrote, “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”
Reuters reported that at least 33 people were executed by Hamas recently in what officials described as a post-ceasefire campaign to “show strength.” Israeli sources indicated that most victims belonged to families accused of collaborating with Israel or supporting rival militias.
Al-Natour noted that several local militias continue to resist Hamas across Gaza. In Rafah, the Abu Shabab clan has garnered attention for recruiting fighters and opposing Hamas’s control. The Doghmush clan in Gaza City has repeatedly clashed with Hamas fighters, and the Mujaida clan in Khan Younis has also engaged in armed confrontations.
Some individuals associated with the Hellis network in Gaza City are operating in neighborhoods experiencing tension with Hamas. While these factions do not control stable territory, their sporadic resistance — including raids and armed standoffs — suggests initial cracks in Hamas’s authority.
Al-Natour explained, “These militias come from the population.” He emphasized, “They need recognition and coordination to form a political umbrella — a transitional body that governs these areas and organizes their security.”
He further stated that he and others are working under what he called “Trump’s peace framework” to establish safe zones within Gaza where civilians not affiliated with Hamas can access food, aid, and protection. “We can build a governing body in these zones,” he said. However, he warned, “But those of us who speak out are hunted. The people Hamas is killing now are just like me — Palestinians who dared to speak.”
Joseph Braude, president of the Center for Peace Communications, commented that Hamas is using the post-war calm to settle old scores. He informed Digital, “It’s a dark time for Hamas’s many opponents in Gaza,” explaining, “They’re exploiting this moment to reassert dominance through brute force. They killed a pregnant woman about 18 hours ago. It is indiscriminate killing designed simply to sow fear in ordinary people.”
His organization released a video on X featuring an interview with a Gazan who described Hamas killing a 5-year-old child as part of its campaign against opponents.
Braude characterized Gaza’s current reality as bifurcated. He explained that reconstruction could commence in areas under Israeli supervision—referred to as “behind the yellow line”—while fighting persists elsewhere. He noted, “This is the scenario envisioned in the 20-point plan,” adding, “Gazans opposed to Hamas, including those who have taken up arms in that struggle, can help form enclaves of self-rule that evolve into a transitional authority with international support.”
He predicted that a coalition of anti-Hamas militias, supported by air cover from and potentially private contractors, will carry out the remaining ground battles. He concluded, “There is no conceptual return to the pre-Oct. 7 approach.”
Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University and a former IDF intelligence officer, observed that Hamas has seized weapons and money from clans, much of it originating from Israel, drawing parallels to Hezbollah’s 2000 takeover of southern Lebanon. He warned, “This leaves Israel in a dilemma.” He continued, “If the ends up protecting these clans, we risk starting another war with Hamas. If we abandon them, we may have to absorb them later, like the allies we evacuated from Lebanon.”
He called the initiative “a tragic example of acting without understanding Gaza’s reality.”
Gazans who spoke anonymously to Digital conveyed a sense of chaos and fear. One man reported that “gangs are in the streets” and cautioned that another internal war could erupt. Another individual stated, “No one knows who will rule or what will happen next. We just want to live without bloodshed.”
While Trump’s team has presented the Gaza ceasefire as the foundation for lasting peace, the ongoing executions, clan wars, and emergence of new militias suggest to officials and residents alike that the post-war phase will test the durability of that peace, potentially leading Gaza into another cycle of terror and revenge.
Reuters contributed to this report.