JERUSALEM — As U.S.-led peace negotiations continue in Egypt, Digital has acquired video from the U.S.-based Center for Peace Communications (CPC), indicating that anti-Hamas militias have endorsed President’s peace initiative aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli hostages.
This development comes amidst reports from last week of intense fighting between an anti-Hamas clan and militants from the jihadi Hamas movement in a Khan Younis neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, a situation that could signify a profound shift in local governance within the war-torn region.
The strong backing for Trump’s plan from these anti-Hamas militias could potentially create further complications for the militant organization that has governed Gaza with strict control for the past seventeen years.
According to the CPC video, three anti-Hamas militias publicly supported Trump’s peace proposal for Gaza. Yasser Abu Shabab, identified as the leader of the , stated, “We perceive President Trump’s plan as a means to halt the bloodshed and establish peace in the Middle East.”
Ashraf Al-Mansi, who leads the Popular Northern Forces, declared, “We, the People’s Army, Northern Forces in the Gaza Strip, extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to U.S. President Donald Trump.”
Rami Hillis, the leader of the Popular Defense Forces, affirmed that his organization and the esteemed clans in the Gaza Strip “will dedicate our utmost efforts and resources to guarantee the success of this proposition.” Two years ago, on Oct. 7, the Hamas terrorist movement invaded Israel and massacred approximately 1,200 people, including over 40 American citizens.
“This marks the inaugural instance where anti-Hamas militias have demonstrated their capacity to confront Hamas in direct combat and remove them from their territories. While minor skirmishes have occurred previously, this appears to be a significant intensification,” commented Michael Nahum from CPC.
The CPC, in collaboration with the American news organization The Free Press, disseminated information about the deadly clashes on Friday, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 20 Hamas militants, including a commander.
As per the CPC, the infamous Hamas “Sahm Unit,” recognized for its brutal suppression of Gazan dissident voices, reportedly traveled to Khan Younis with the objective of apprehending local Palestinians and “transferring them to a hospital for interrogation and possible execution.”
On the same day as these confrontations, the Israel Defense Forces revealed that Hamas had constructed elaborate militant tunnels within the compounds of two hospitals—the Jordanian Field Hospital and Hamad Hospital—in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel adjacent to the Jordanian hospital reportedly contained a workshop for missile production. The use of hospitals and medical facilities as military zones by Hamas is considered a war crime under the Geneva Convention.
Hamas asserts its entry into Khan Younis was to detain Palestinians collaborating with Israel. The al-Mujaida clan in southern Gaza resisted the Hamas assault, which involved approximately 50 heavily armed Hamas terrorists in five pickup trucks, one equipped with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Hamas is reported to have killed five members of the prominent al-Mujaida family.
Reports indicate that the anti-Hamas militias have received support from Israel. Nahum stated that these groups are expanding, with estimates now ranging from four to possibly ten militias across the Gaza Strip. Nahum remarked, “For the first time in a generation, we truly might be witnessing the conclusion of Hamas’s governance in Gaza.”
Some assessments suggest there are an estimated in the Gaza Strip.