Hamas-led authorities in Gaza executed three men accused of collaborating with Israel, a Palestinian official said, as the movement moves to quash small armed factions that it says are operating against it with Israeli backing.
Two years into the Gaza war and under sustained Israeli military pressure, bands of armed Palestinians opposed to Hamas have surfaced in several areas, residents and sources close to Hamas and to those groups said.
Videos shared on social media show a masked man warning “collaborators” before three blindfolded detainees are forced to the ground and shot before a crowd. Reuters verified the location as Gaza City by matching buildings, road layout, a gas station and signage with file and satellite imagery.
The executions were carried out on Sunday by the “Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian resistance,” the Hamas-run Gaza government’s security official said, describing them as the implementation of “revolutionary rulings” for collaboration with Israel and intended as a deterrent. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Hamas has previously said it has publicly punished people during the war for crimes including looting and collaboration; the latest footage is among the most graphic examples made public. Israel launched a new ground push in Gaza City last week as it presses its campaign to defeat Hamas, which triggered the war with its 2023 attack on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in June that Israel is arming Gaza clans that oppose Hamas, without naming them. The most prominent anti-Hamas figure, Yasser Abu Shabab, based in Rafah, denies receiving Israeli support. The Palestinian security official said some of the executed men had ties to Abu Shabab; his organisation recently sought recruits with police or security experience, advertising monthly pay of 3,000–5,000 shekels ($890–$1,500).
Other anti-Hamas groups have appeared in Beit Lahiya and Shejaia in the north and eastern Khan Younis in the south, according to residents and sources close to Hamas. Analyst Akram Attallah said the executions reflect deep concern inside Hamas as these groups expand beyond their usual areas and mount more capable attacks. He added that Hamas could move swiftly against rivals if a ceasefire were reached, but the ongoing war complicates such efforts, especially in areas under Israeli control.