Hamas Stages Public Executions of Rivals After Peace Pact

A video circulated late Monday showing Hamas terrorists dragging seven men into a circle of people in Gaza City, forcing them to their knees and executing them from behind.

A Hamas source confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Reuters was able to confirm the location as Gaza City by the buildings, road layout, trees, and utility pole seen in the video which matched file and satellite imagery of the area. The green headbands worn by some of the masked, armed men in the video matched those worn by Hamas.

A Hamas source confirmed to Reuters the killings of alleged collaborators were carried out by members of factions, including Hamas. The identity of the killed men could not be independently verified.

The date when the video was filmed could not be independently verified, but a Hamas source said it happened Monday, hours after President Donald Trump and mediators signed the peace deal ending the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.  

Gaza residents said fighters were increasingly visible on Tuesday, deploying along routes needed for aid deliveries. Palestinian security sources say dozens of people have been killed in clashes between Hamas terrorists and rivals in recent days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently maintained that the war cannot end until Hamas gives up its weapons and ceases to control Gaza, a demand that the fighters have rejected, torpedoing all previous peace efforts.

When Hamas terrorists appeared in the streets during the last ceasefire in January-March, Israel abandoned the truce and called off negotiations on an end to the war. But Trump, having announced that the war is now over, said Monday that Hamas still had a temporary green light to keep order.

Hamas sources told Reuters on Tuesday the group would tolerate no more violations of order in Gaza and would target collaborators, armed looters and drug dealers.

The group, though greatly weakened after two years of pummeling Israeli bombardment and ground incursions, has been gradually reasserting itself with remaining fighters moving back onto the streets since the ceasefire took hold over the weekend.