CNN: Public execution takes place in Gaza after Israeli troops withdraw
Illustrative photo: public execution takes place in Gaza after Israeli troop withdrawal (Getty Images)
After Israeli forces withdrew from parts of the Gaza Strip, internal tensions have escalated, with reports of clashes between armed factions, acts of violence, and public executions, according to a publication by CNN.
Clashes have broken out in several areas of Gaza between Hamas fighters and rival armed groups. CNN reports that a video circulating on social media shows a group of masked gunmen, some wearing Hamas’s green headbands, executing eight blindfolded men in front of a crowd in the city center.
The outlet specifies that the location was verified as the al-Sabra neighborhood in western Gaza, although the timing of the event could not be confirmed.
Details of the incident and reactions
According to experts, the incident likely occurred after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect, since Israeli troops had been stationed in that area before the truce.
The video shows freshly damaged buildings. The detainees, adult men, are dragged into the square with their hands tied behind their backs, some of them stripped and barefoot.
CNN notes: "Some of the fighters are seen forcefully hitting some of the prisoners as they are lined up to be executed. The fighters cheer after shooting the detainees."
Reaction from rights groups and Hamas
The Palestinian human rights organization Al-Mezan condemned the event as an "extrajudicial execution of civilians" and called for an investigation.
Meanwhile, the Radaa security forces, affiliated with Hamas, claimed they had carried out a "precise operation" in central Gaza to neutralize wanted individuals, though they provided no evidence.
According to the group, security sweeps and arrests are ongoing in the city targeting those involved in shootings and attacks on civilians.
Causes of escalation
CNN reports that the video surfaced after a series of clashes between Hamas and the Doghmush clan, based in al-Sabra. Sources link the outbreak of violence to the killing of the son of a senior Hamas commander.
Al-Mezan stated that gunfights took place in the Sabra and Tel al-Hawa districts shortly after the ceasefire began. Following the arrests of family members, footage of the execution appeared online. The official authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry earlier welcomed Hamas’s release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and expressed hope that ongoing international diplomatic efforts would increase pressure on Russia and help bring an end to its war against Ukraine.
Hamas militants recently released all 20 Israeli hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and also handed over four coffins containing the bodies of those killed.
