Members of a prominent Palestinian family in the Gaza Strip reportedly executed a Hamas operative in Deir al-Balah in retaliation for shooting one of their relatives on Tuesday.
The incident could indicate cracks in the terrorist group’s hold on Gaza as Israel continues its military offensive.
From The Times of Israel:
Members of a prominent Gazan family in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday executed a man who they said was a Hamas operative responsible for the deadly shooting of one of their relatives earlier in the day.
The gunmen were members of the Abu Samra clan of central Gaza. They said they killed the Hamas member after he shot their relative Abdulrahman Sha’aban Abu Samra while he was waiting in line for flour in Deir al-Balah.
Members of the family said they managed to track down the Hamas operative responsible and brought him in front of the entrance of Deir al-Balah where several relatives opened fire.
Footage of the execution was shared widely on Palestinian social media and appeared to highlight growing fury with Hamas among Gaza civilians.
Gaza has dozens of powerful families like the Abu Samra family, who function as well-organized clans. Many do not have formal links to Hamas. They derive their power from controlling businesses and command the loyalty of hundreds or thousands of relatives. Each family has a leader, known as a mukhtar, or chieftain.
Some of the larger families in the region are armed and have butted heads with Hamas on multiple occasions, according to The Times of Israel.
A witness who saw the Hamas operative shoot the family’s relative approached people waiting for flour. “The flour is gone,” the Hamas officer said, according to AllIsrael. “Whoever has any left, it is his.”
As soon as the first policeman finished speaking, the second policeman started shouting at the people, 'Get out, get out!' and then started shooting from where he was standing. I heard one of his colleagues tell him, 'Don't shoot!' and then he pointed his gun at the people.'"
"I went outside,” the witness continued, “and to my surprise, the same police officer who shot ran out and said afterwards, 'Someone got shot!’”
“He tried to start his car to get away from the scene without worrying about the fate of the wounded man, but it didn't work,” the witness reported. “At that moment, the murdered man came out to us, covered in blood, with five wounded young men from different families.”
Abu Samra died shortly afterward. His family members reportedly tracked down the Hamas policeman and took him to the entrance of Deir al-Balah. There, several of them, armed with pistols and rifles, opened fire on the man, killing him.
Footage circulating on social media shows members of the Abu Samra family taking the Hamas officer to the location where they would eventually shoot him to death.
🔴 فيديو : التحفظ على القـ ـا تل الحمـ،،،ـساوي قبل اعد|مه حيث انه قـ ـتـ ـل قبلها بلحظات الشاب عبد الرحمن شعبان أبو سمرة " أبو عبيد " في دير البلح pic.twitter.com/qjMBXym3wG
— ابو الحسن 🇵🇸 (@_G4Z4_) April 1, 2025
The fact that Palestinian civilians were willing to brazenly execute a Hamas terrorist in broad daylight suggests that Hamas has lost much of its power. This scenario would likely not have happened before the war because the group routinely used vicious violence to suppress any attempt at rebellion.
Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip with an iron fist, suppressing dissent and imprisoning or executing those who dared to speak a critical word about the organization. This is why this incident, as well as others, signals that the group might have lost a significant level of control over Gaza.
Late last month, thousands of Palestinian civilians marched in the streets protesting against Hamas, an act that would have been mostly unheard of three years ago. There have also been reports of Palestinians aiding the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in rooting out Hamas’ leaders. There is no telling what will happen when Hamas is finally defeated. But incidents like this suggest that the end might be near for the terrorist group.
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