New Gaza Turmoil Begins as Muslim Militias Vie for Power: “They Were Running From Their Own People”

(Discern TV)—Fresh violence has gripped Gaza City, where Hamas forces clashed with the powerful Doghmush clan in the Sabra neighborhood, leaving at least 27 dead in one of the bloodiest internal fights since Israeli troops pulled back. The skirmishes broke out Sunday amid accusations that the clan collaborated with Israel, sparking a brutal raid by Hamas militants. Reports put the toll higher in some accounts, with dozens slain overall, including 52 from the Doghmush side and 12 Hamas fighters.

Gunfire echoed through the streets as families fled in terror. “This time people weren’t fleeing Israeli attacks. They were running from their own people.”

Chaos reigned with homes set ablaze and youths rounded up at gunpoint. “Children are screaming and dying, they are burning our houses.”

One clan member described the scene: “We are trapped. I don’t know how they entered with all kinds of weapons. Where were they when the Jews were here? They arrested all the youths, lined them up against walls, pointed weapons at their heads. There is a massacre here.”

The Doghmush clan, long a force in Gaza’s fractured landscape, fired back at Hamas for exploiting the fragile ceasefire to settle old scores. A senior clan figure pleaded: “We still say – you must not shed Muslim blood by a Muslim.”

Yet the bloodshed claimed notable lives, including blogger Saleh al-Ja‘farawi, gunned down while covering the fray by what sources call an Israel-linked militia. The son of senior Hamas official Basem Naim also fell in the fighting.

Hamas, scrambling to reassert dominance in areas left vacant by Israeli forces, mobilized fighters as tensions boiled over. Their interior ministry issued a “clemency framework” for surrendering militias, threatening severe punishment for holdouts. But whispers persist that these clans aren’t acting alone—some suggest covert Israeli arming of rival groups before the withdrawal, setting the stage for proxy wars to weaken Hamas from within. Three anti-Hamas militias have openly backed President Trump’s peace proposal, rejecting Hamas rule outright.

This infighting unfolds just as a hostage exchange looms, with Hamas set to free 20 living captives under Red Cross watch. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “the beginning of a new path,” while warning of ongoing threats. The timing raises questions: is Hamas lashing out to crush dissent before Trump’s deal exposes their grip as brittle? Or are global powers pulling strings to fracture Palestinian unity, ensuring no single radical faction rises again?

Clans across Gaza have condemned Hamas’s “barbaric violence” in public statements, signaling a potential uprising against years of iron-fisted control. As aid looting worsens and security crumbles, the power vacuum invites more chaos. Locals weary of endless strife now face threats from their own, proving that without firm authority, radical elements like Hamas only breed division and death.