Merlyn Thomas, Matt Murphy, Benedict Garman and Shayan SardarizadehBBC Check
Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has threatened to “violently” disarm Hamas as the group attempts to reassert its control over the Gaza Strip, targeting what he calls its “collaborators”.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said that if Hamas fails to disarm within “a reasonable period of time,” then “we will disarm them.” He did not say when he expects the group to surrender.
His comments came as images circulated online showing a public execution and other shows of force by Hamas fighters in Gaza since the start of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire last week.
The execution – which BBC Verify geolocated to an intersection in central Gaza City – followed Hamas’ pledge to crush “anarchy” in the Gaza Strip.
Other verified clips show armed men wearing insignia identifying them as members of Hamas’s internal security forces on patrol and masked fighters shooting at unarmed men.
Analysts told BBC Verify that the show of force is at least partly intended to counter armed clans who have increasingly challenged the group’s hold on the Gaza Strip over the past two years.
Tensions between Hamas and some of the groups it fights today date back to before the war. Some – like the Dughmush clan – have historically been involved in smuggling across the Gaza Strip border with Israel, an expert told BBC Verify. Recent clashes between Dughmush and Hamas left more than 50 people dead, including 12 Hamas members.
Israel has previously said it has supplied weapons to other armed groups in the Gaza Strip. A Hamas internal security unit recently pledged to “eradicate gangs and militias” that it accuses of cooperating “with the enemy.”
A clip released Monday afternoon showed Hamas fighters executing a group of eight men. BBC Verify geolocated the footage to an intersection in Gaza City’s central Zeitoun neighborhood, which had been the center of a major Israeli ground offensive in recent weeks but is now back under Hamas control following the Israeli military withdrawal.
Fighters – some wearing body armor and Hamas headbands – could be seen in the footage lining up the men in front of a large crowd, which appeared to include at least one young child.
After forcing the men to their knees, the crowd could be heard shouting “collaborator” or “agent.”
The assembled fighters then opened fire on the tied up men, who fell to the ground. Then the men fired into the air and shouted “Long live the al-Qassam Brigades” – the military wing of Hamas.
Another verified video showed masked, armed fighters forcing a man to his knees in the middle of the same Zeitoun intersection before shooting him in the leg.
Several other shots also rang out, followed by screams, but the footage does not show whether others were attacked. The day after the images were broadcast, several armed men stood guard around the injured man, scaring away onlookers who had witnessed the incident.
It’s unclear what exactly sparked the incident, which was first revealed online on October 10. Google image searches returned no previous results.
Palestinians who spoke to the BBC expressed fear over the public executions.
“Why are people cheering for chaos? A masked man kills another masked man without any evidence, without an investigation, without a court, without even an appeal period, what do you call it? Resistance? No, it’s anarchy,” said a lawyer living in Gaza.
“You cannot correct one mistake with another,” added an activist living in the central Gaza Strip. “Executions without due process are a crime. May God guide our people.”
Meanwhile, members of Hamas’ internal security forces have also been deployed to Gaza City in a show of force by the group.
Two of these fighters, wearing the insignia of internal security units and armed with rifles, could be seen in several images geotagged by BBC Verify stationed at an intersection in Gaza City.
Other shows of force included gunmen brandishing assault rifles marching through a market in the Zeitoun area, followed by a small group waving a Palestinian flag.
“I think what Hamas has tried to do is mobilize its forces, using the forces of its Interior Ministry, to assert and consolidate its control,” Professor Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told the BBC’s Today programme.
“In areas under Hamas control, Hamas will be able to destroy the various clans, gangs, raiders and militias because its forces are more experienced, more competent and more determined,” he added.
While Hamas has long had simmering rivalries with various armed groups in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and the loosening of Hamas’s grip on power have allowed some clans to strengthen themselves, analysts say.
“The collapse of other social institutions has increased the appeal of the clan, which can serve as a social network for its members,” Yaniv Voller, lecturer in Middle East politics at the University of Kent, told BBC Verify.
“At least some clans reportedly received weapons and other support from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to serve as proxies against Hamas,” he added.
Some militias also operate in areas controlled by the IDF. By analyzing videos circulating on social media, BBC Verify identified bases used by two rival groups deep in IDF-controlled territory, including one near the southern town of Rafah and another near the northern town of Beit Hanoun.
In response to the re-emergence of Hamas and the role of its security forces in maintaining order, Trump previously said this was not outside the peace agreement.
“(Hamas) wants to end the problems and they have said that openly, and we have given them our approval for a while,” he told reporters on Monday.
“Nearly 2 million people are returning to buildings that have been demolished, and a lot of bad things can happen. So we want that to be the case – we want it to be safe.”
Professor Gerges said the United States and its allies had little choice but to allow Hamas to make a show of force in Gaza if the ceasefire was to have a significant impact.
“Without security you can’t provide aid. Without security you can’t really live,” he said. “The Americans realize that the only force is Hamas and that is the irony.”
Additional reporting by Emma Pengelly.
