Brace yourself for a gut punch from Gaza, where a chilling video of Hamas executing seven Palestinian men accused of collaboration has surfaced on social media, casting a dark shadow over a fragile peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump, as Daily Mail reports.
This disturbing incident, coupled with Hamas's refusal to return the bodies of all Israeli hostages and its aggressive reassertion of control in Gaza, paints a grim picture of a ceasefire agreement signed just yesterday in Egypt, already teetering on the edge of collapse.
Over the weekend, as a tentative ceasefire took hold, Hamas called for a general mobilization of its forces, urging 7,000 armed militants to "cleanse" Gaza of so-called outlaws and collaborators with Israel.
By Tuesday, Gaza residents noticed Hamas fighters becoming more visible, positioning themselves along critical aid delivery routes, as if to remind everyone who’s still calling the shots.
The group, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, also deployed hundreds of workers to clear rubble and fix water pipes, a move that seems less about civic duty and more about flexing muscle in the aftermath of Israeli troop withdrawals.
But the power play didn’t stop there—Hamas has recalled around 7,000 security force members to reestablish dominance in areas once occupied by Israeli forces, signaling they have no intention of stepping aside despite the peace terms.
The most horrifying evidence of their defiance came via a social media video showing seven Palestinian men, hands bound, kneeling before being gunned down by militants, some sporting Hamas-style headbands, as crowds cheered and shouted praises to God.
A Hamas source confirmed the video’s authenticity, while captions circulating online questioned the sincerity of any peace while such brutality unfolds, with one reading, "Hamas takes advantage of the truce with Israel and eliminates internal opponents, does anyone believe in this peace?"
Let’s unpack that caption—it’s a bitter pill, isn’t it? If a ceasefire means public executions and internal purges, then the ink on Trump’s 20-point peace deal, signed in Egypt to demilitarize Gaza and sideline Hamas from governance, might as well be invisible.
Adding fuel to the fire, a violent clash erupted on Saturday between Hamas and the rival Dughmush family clan, spreading across neighborhoods and claiming at least 27 lives, including 19 from the clan and 8 Hamas fighters, as reported by the BBC.
Civilians, already battered by over two years of war with Israel, are now trapped in a deadly crossfire of internal power struggles, with one resident lamenting, "This time people weren't fleeing Israeli attacks. They were running from their own people."
That quote cuts deep—Gaza’s people deserve respite, not a new war within their own borders, yet Hamas’s vow to target collaborators, looters, and drug dealers suggests more bloodshed, not less, under the guise of restoring order.
Yesterday, Hamas released all 20 living hostages taken during the brutal October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that ignited this devastating conflict, but they’ve only returned the bodies of 4 out of 28 deceased hostages, leaving Israeli families in anguish over loved ones they’ll never bury.
Analysts warn that this failure, combined with the execution video and Hamas’s refusal to disarm, could unravel Trump’s peace plan, which demands a demilitarized Gaza under a temporary transitional government of Palestinian technocrats, not Hamas rule.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been crystal clear—the war won’t truly end until Hamas surrenders its weapons and control, a condition the group has flatly rejected, proving once again that lasting peace in Gaza remains a steep, rocky climb.
