US President, Donald Trump has threatened to disarm Hamas violently amid moves by the group to reassert control over the Gaza Strip, targeting what it called collaborators.
While speaking to newsmen, Trump said if Hamas failed to disarm within a reasonable period of time then we will disarm them. He did not say when he expects the group to surrender its weapons.
His comments came as footage circulated online showing a public execution and other displays of force by Hamas fighters in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire began last week.
The execution which was Verified geolocated to a junction in central Gaza City, follows Hamas’s pledge to crush “lawlessness” in the Strip.
Other verified clips have shown armed men wearing insignia identifying them as members of Hamas’s internal security force on patrol and masked fighters firing on unarmed men.
Analysts said that the show of force is at least partially intended to counter armed clans which have increasingly challenged the group’s hold on the Strip over the past two years.
Tensions between Hamas and some of the groups it is now fighting stretch back before the war. Israel has previously said it has supplied weapons to other armed groups in the Strip.
One Hamas internal security unit recently pledged to “eradicate gangs and militias” it accused of co-operating “with the enemy”.
A clip which emerged on Monday afternoon showed Hamas fighters executing a group of eight men.
Fighters, some of whom were wearing body armour and Hamas headbands could be seen in the footage lining the men up in front of a large crowd, which appeared to include at least one young child.
After forcing the men to their knees, crowds could be heard shouting collaborator or agent.
The assembled fighters then opened fire on the bound men, who fell to the ground. Afterwards, the men fired into the air and shouted “long live the al-Qassam Brigades” Hamas’s military wing.
