Gaza City, October 11 — Hamas has mobilized approximately 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops under the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, while appointing five new governors with military backgrounds to stabilize governance amid rising clan tensions that killed two elite Hamas members. The rapid deployment, ordered via phone calls and texts to “cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel,” comes days after the October 10 ceasefire took effect, with armed units patrolling districts in civilian clothes and police uniforms as fears of civil war mount, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
The recall follows Hamas’s partial acceptance of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan on October 6, which includes phased Israeli withdrawals, hostage releases and eventual disarmament. Israeli forces pulled back from urban positions in northern Gaza by October 10, creating a power vacuum that prompted Hamas to act swiftly. Local sources in Gaza City reported fighters reporting within 24 hours, with units deploying to key areas like Sabra neighborhood after the shooting deaths of two elite Hamas operatives from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades—the son of military intelligence chief Imad Aqel and another fighter—by gunmen from the powerful Dughmush clan. Their bodies were left in the street, sparking outrage and a Hamas siege on a Dughmush stronghold housing over 300 armed men equipped with machine guns and improvised explosives looted from Hamas depots during the war.
By Saturday morning, Hamas forces killed one Dughmush member and reportedly kidnapped 30 others, as per BBC reports. The Dughmush clan, long rivals to Hamas, possesses weapons stockpiled for years alongside those seized amid the conflict, exacerbating fears of internal bloodshed. A retired Palestinian Authority security officer told the BBC, “Hamas hasn’t changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive. Gaza is flooded with arms… This is a perfect recipe for civil war: weapons, frustration, chaos, and a movement desperate to reassert control over a shattered and exhausted population.”
The new governors—all former brigade commanders from Hamas’s armed wing—were appointed to oversee districts, signaling a militarized administration as the group navigates Trump’s plan. The framework requires Hamas to hand over governance to a technocratic committee chaired by Trump, with figures like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair involved, but Hamas insists on retaining influence until full Israeli withdrawal. A Hamas official abroad told the BBC, “We cannot leave Gaza at the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the Israeli occupation. Our weapons are legitimate… to resist occupation, and they will remain as long as the occupation continues.”
Human rights expert Khalil Abu Shammala in Gaza expressed concern, stating, “There is undoubtedly widespread fear among many Gazans of potential internal fighting… Hamas had been forced to accept the peace plan by the severe pressure it was under. I believe its continued attempts to maintain influence… could ultimately jeopardise the agreement and plunge Gaza’s residents into even greater suffering,” as reported by BBC.
The mobilization coincides with the ceasefire’s fragile start: Israeli troops withdrew to a “yellow line” controlling 53% of Gaza by October 10, per White House maps, allowing displaced Palestinians to return north amid rubble-strewn ruins. The 72-hour window for Hamas to release 20 living hostages and 28 remains began October 10, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners, as confirmed by Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian. Negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh continue on phase two—Hamas disarmament and demilitarization—with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner mediating.
Tensions underscore the plan’s challenges: Trump’s October 6 call with Netanyahu was tense, with the president rebuking Israel’s leader as “f***ing negative” for viewing Hamas’s response as a rejection, per Axios. Netanyahu later aligned, halting airstrikes three hours after the call. Despite optimism, 104 Palestinians died in strikes since Friday, including 10 since dawn October 11, per Al Jazeera and Gaza’s Health Ministry, bringing the total to over 67,000 since October 7, 2023.
Global reactions highlight fragility. Protests flooded Istanbul streets demanding an end to the war, while Italy banned a pro-Palestinian October 7 commemoration in Bologna over unrest fears. Women in Turkey formed human chains in solidarity, and Scottish First Minister John Swinney called for releasing detained Gaza flotilla activists, including Greta Thunberg. Families of Israeli captives nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “determination,” per the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
In Gaza, residents voiced cautious hope. Ahmed Hashem from Jabalia prayed, “We’re all praying they will succeed this time and the war stops,” while Essam Hararah prioritized ending “human suffering.” Ayman al-Masri cited Trump’s Nobel ambitions as a motivator. Former Palestinian negotiator Mustafa Barghouti warned of Netanyahu’s sabotage history, and Yezid Sayigh stressed maintaining the agreement.
Hussein Haridy, ex-Egyptian assistant foreign minister, urged linking Hamas disarmament to withdrawal, calling separation impossible. Alon Liel, former Israeli Foreign Ministry director, predicted a swap but doubted lasting peace, noting 66% of Israelis want the war ended.
The Israel Premier-Tech cycling team rebranded amid protests, and a YouGov poll showed 57% of Britons deem Israel’s actions unjustified. In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Bziq near Tubas, closing a school, and settlers uprooted 120 olive trees near Ramallah, per WAFA. Southern Lebanon saw two killed in an Israeli drone strike, including Hezbollah’s Hassan Ali Jamil Atoui.
Aid activists on the Conscience vessel vowed to reach Gaza by Friday, with Huwaida Arraf declaring, “You are not alone. We are coming.” Tony Blair’s transitional role drew criticism as a “dark joke.”
As Hamas deploys amid clan clashes, the ceasefire’s second anniversary eve amplifies stakes, with Trump’s pressure yielding progress but internal Gaza dynamics threatening to unravel it.
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