GAZA/JERUSALEM: Hamas on Monday released a video showing eight blindfolded men being publicly executed in Gaza, accusing them of being “collaborators and outlaws.” The footage emerged amid intensifying clashes between Hamas security units and armed Palestinian clans, even as a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day.
By Tuesday, Hamas security forces had reasserted control over large parts of Gaza, hours after US President Donald Trump vowed to disarm the militant group as part of the truce agreement.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed the return of the remains of four more hostages held in Gaza, delivered via the International Committee of the Red Cross. This follows the release of four living captives and the safe return of 20 others.
In northern Gaza, Israeli forces began withdrawing from Gaza City, allowing Hamas’s black-uniformed police to resume patrols. Members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, were seen controlling crowds as released prisoners arrived Monday.
Hamas has also launched a new unit, the “Deterrence Force,” tasked with confronting armed clans and gangs — several of which are alleged to have ties with Israel.
Since seizing Gaza from Fatah in 2007, Hamas has maintained tight control over the enclave. Israel, however, insists that Hamas must be excluded from any future Gaza administration, return the remains of 24 deceased hostages, and ultimately disarm completely.
Trump, speaking at a summit in Egypt attended by regional and Western leaders, said that “those who refuse to surrender their weapons will be forcibly disarmed.” The 20-point peace framework, endorsed by world powers, outlines steps toward a demilitarized Gaza and humanitarian reconstruction under international oversight.
The Israeli Defense Forces identified two of the returned bodies as Guy Iluz, an Israeli national, and Bipin Joshi, a student from Nepal. The other two were later named as Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz.
During his visit to Jerusalem, Trump joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in celebrating the ceasefire before travelling to Egypt for the formal signing of the truce declaration — a move hailed as the most significant diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict since the war began.
