🔗 Share this article Lethal Fighting Erupt Between the Hamas movement and Gaza-based Clan in the Gaza Strip Hamas has exercised strict control over Gaza since taking control seventeen years ago Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza saw some of the most intense domestic fighting since the conflict started, pitting Hamas security personnel against armed members from the al-Mujaida clan - among the biggest families in southern Gaza. Per Hamas, its security personnel conducted a raid in the district to apprehend people accused of cooperating with Israel. On the other hand, resident testimonies recounted an attack by approximately 50 men traveling in five pickup trucks, armed with assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher, who entered forcefully the al-Mujaida neighborhood and eliminated five members from the clan. Armed relatives rapidly responded, sparking prolonged confrontations with heavy gunfire. Accounts circulating on social media – difficult to independently verify – suggest that at least 11 Hamas members were eliminated, with some of their bodies supposedly paraded in the streets. Videos broadly distributed on the internet, without independent verification, purportedly display multiple injured bodies in combat uniforms, along with a voiceover claiming they pertained to Hamas's "Sahm Unit". Additional footage recorded automatic weapon fire and a rocket-propelled grenade impacting a housing structure in the district. Community leaders eventually mediated to negotiate among the two sides, resulting in an handover of casualties aimed at contain the escalation. Even though the exact motives remain unclear, the confrontation has intensified anxiety among Gaza residents. Many fear that widespread weapons, tensions between major families and Hamas's political dominance could escalate into situations similar to domestic warfare in a region already gripped by displacement, destruction, and fear of increased chaos. Observers propose that the degree of hostility which Hamas confronts from its many opponents – whom it has humiliated during its lengthy governance – is considered a major element influencing the group to oppose the ceasefire plan. Moreover, there is fear of bloody revenge, of meeting violent ends in the public spaces, since the proposal mandates Hamas to give up all arms. Sources suggest that the commander of Hamas's combat unit in Gaza has expressed disagreement regarding the initiative, which was presented recently. The ceasefire plan includes a time limit for Hamas to comply or confront severe consequences.