Dozens were killed in Gaza during violent clashes on Sunday and within hours of the expected release of hostages in the war-torn area, according to local reports.
The clashes between local militias also came ahead of a televised speech in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the upcoming release of hostages “the beginning of a new path.”
The Israeli president had warned: “The campaign is not over yet. Very major security challenges still lie ahead.”
Local residents said families were fleeing in panic due to gunfire.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: ISRAELI Hostage Families Plead, Peace Shakes and War in GAZA Continues
Hamas raided Gaza’s Sabra neighborhood and targeted the Doghmush clan over alleged Israeli cooperation, killing dozens of people amid tensions over the ceasefire. (Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“This time the people were not fleeing the Israeli attacks. They were fleeing their own people,” a witness told the newspaper BBC.
According to reports via an Israeli outlet Ynet, The violence broke out when Hamas militants entered Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, home to a clan called Doghmush, also known as the Al Doghmush family militia.
According to the report, Hamas’s Interior Ministry had accused a militia of attacking its forces, while members of the Doghmush clan said Hamas had exploited the ceasefire to attack them over alleged cooperation with Israel.
“Children are screaming and dying, they are burning our houses,” a relative of the clan told Ynet.
“We are trapped. I don’t know how they got in with all kinds of weapons. Where were they when the Jews were here? They arrested all the young people, lined them up against walls and pointed guns at their heads. There is a massacre here,” said another member.
In total, Ynet reported that 52 members of the Doghmush clan were killed and 12 Hamas militants were killed.
As Trump’s deal with Gaza approaches, the family warns Israel not to unleash another sin war
Terrorists in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza celebrate the ceasefire on January 19, 2025. (TPS-IL)
The Hamas television channel claimed that among the dead was blogger Salah al-Ja’farawi, who reportedly celebrated the October 7 attacks online. The terrorist-run station claimed the blogger was shot dead by “armed gangs operating outside the law” while reporting on the clashes.
The son of a senior Hamas official Basem Naim was also killed, according to reporting by the Jerusalem Post.
A high-ranking clan member told Ynet: “We still say: you should not shed Muslim blood by a Muslim.”
AFTER SETUP IN IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, TRUMP EXPECTS TO USE MILITARY SUPPORT IN NETANYAHU MEETING
At least 64 people have reportedly been killed in fighting in Gaza. (Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hamas’s Ministry of the Interior and National Security later announced a “leniency framework” allowing militia members and criminals not involved in bloodshed to surrender next Sunday, warning that those who do not comply “will be severely punished.”
Amid the bloodshed, three anti-Hamas militias publicly expressed support for President Trump’s peace proposal, rejecting Hamas’ authority in the Gaza Strip.
Israel said Hamas is expected to release 20 living hostages to the Red Cross at 5 a.m. Eastern on Monday (12 p.m. in Gaza).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The hostages will be transported in six to eight vehicles under the supervision of the Red Cross and handed over to Israeli forces in Gaza. They will then be driven to southern Israel to reunite with their loved ones.
