Donald Trump and many world leaders have been celebrating the treaty between Hamas and Israel, viewing the release of hostages and the return of many bodies to Israeli soil as a potential sign that the worst is over. However, the conflict is proving to be far from finished, as Hamas is forcefully reasserting its control.
Hamas’s Brutal Assertion of Power
A series of horrific videos have been released by Hamas, showing the terrorist group carrying out mass public executions. According to reports, these gruesome public executions took place just days after Trump declared that the terror and death from Hamas was not yet at an end.
Hamas made these decisions to desperately maintain control over the Palestinian Enclave and to punish those they believe have collaborated with Israel.
The horrific videos show a group of Hamas terrorists lining up with guns opposite eight men who are bloodied, terribly beaten, blindfolded, and kneeling in the streets before they are shot to death one by one, a barbaric act cheered on by a gathered crowd.
Hamas explained this was a way to prove they are killing targeted criminals and collaborators of Israel. Among those killed in the mass execution is Ahmad Zidane, reportedly responsible for recruiting agents to rival non-Hamas aligned militias.
Clan Condemnation and Ongoing Clashes
This violent crackdown has been met with harsh criticism from rival Palestinian groups. Clan members do not view the actions as a legitimate security measure, with a daughter of one clan member reportedly calling it a “brutal massacre,” and adding: “It’s a massacre. They’re dragging people away, children are screaming and dying, they’re burning our houses. What did we do wrong?”
The internal conflict escalated into violent clashes; for example, 52 members of the Doghmush clan were killed in a confrontation with Hamas Security Forces on Sunday, with 12 Hamas terrorists, including the son of senior official Bassem Naim, also perishing in the bloody exchange. Reports indicate Hamas used decoy ambulances to infiltrate the neighborhood where they targeted suspected collaborators.
Trump’s Shifting Warning To Hamas
Initially, President Trump appeared to defend the brutal executions, saying he gave Hamas approval to manage and restructure internal security as they saw fit, suggesting it was part of the deal to release the hostages.
On Monday, President Trump told a reporter on Air Force One: “They [Hamas] do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time.”
He continued: “You have close to 2 million people going back to buildings that have been demolished, and a lot of bad things can happen. So we want it to be — we want it to be safe. I think it’s going to be fine. Who knows for sure.”
However, as the situation became more gruesome, Trump began to sing a different tune. By Tuesday, he claimed he would disarm Hamas if the group did not put down their weapons and respect his 20-point peace plan.
Trump told journalists while at the White House: “Well, they’re going to disarm because they said they were going to disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”
He added: “I don’t have to explain that to you, but if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. They know I’m not playing games. Okay?”
He promised to punish them, perhaps “violently,” if they failed to disarm and surrender to the government of Gaza — a condition the terrorist group has decided to defy, continuing to reject the terms and threats of the deal’s second phase.
What is now clear is that peace in the area remains a dauting task.
