Shocking footage has emerged of Palestinians being executed by Hamas following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from large swathes of Gaza.
The video appears to show around eight blindfolded men kneeling on the ground at an unknown location in besieged Palestinian territory.
Cheering crowds scream “Allah Akbar” (God is great) and brand the hapless individuals “collaborators with Israel” while filming the ordeal on their phones.
Armed militants, some wearing green headbands connotated with Hamas terrorists, stand behind the victims with their faces covered.
Gunshots then ring out in the square and the victims fall to the ground, apparently lifeless, as part of the bloody reprisal.
Rival militias, including members of the Doghmush clan, said the public executions by Hamas were a “criminal” act.
Hamas has been targeting clans, the non-Hamas-aligned family-based armed groups that gained strength during the later stages of the conflict, as it seeks to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops.
The violent scenes have fueled fears disarming Hamas, the key next phase in Donald Trump’s plan for enduring peace, will not be straightforward.
It comes a day after President Trump hailed a "new dawn" for the Middle East following the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees under a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Under the first phase of the deal, which came into force on Monday, the Israel Defence Forces will remain in control of nearly 60 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
Violent clashes have been reported around the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City between members of the Al-Qassam Brigades and competing clans.
Hamas is also understood to have threatened the Abu Samra family in Deir al-Balah and called for the death of Housam al-Asta, head of the Israeli-backed Counter-Terrorism Strike Force.
Meanwhile, Israel has been accused of opening fire on “suspects” who cross the so-called “yellow line” where its forces have withdrawn under the peace treaty.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the conflict cannot end until Hamas surrenders its control of Gaza, a demand it has repeatedly rejected.
