The series of internal score-settlings shaking Gaza: "Chaos, Hamas is behind this dangerous move"
The killing of members of the Abu Warda clan has ignited anger and threats of revenge. The clan blames Hamas and demands that those responsible be exposed.
News in brief: Assessment suggests that Hamas operatives are responsible for the shooting death of two members of the Abu Warda clan in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. Hassan and Wasim Abu Warda were killed, and two others were wounded by gunfire from masked men. The background to the event is a conflict between Hamas and a local group that operated in Jabalia. The head of the clan stated: "This is dangerous, we must know who our enemy is." A senior member of the clan claimed that Hamas has killed 15 members of the family in the recent period.
Calls for vengeance, threats of blood feuds, and armed men walking openly in the streets: while Hamas tries to maintain its control in the Gaza Strip, incidents of shooting and internal score-settling have increased in recent days. At the center of the storm is the killing of two members of the Abu Warda clan, who, according to reports, were shot to death by operatives identified with the military wing of Hamas.
The affair began on Saturday, when masked gunmen arrived at the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north of Gaza City and opened fire at several members of the Abu Warda clan as they were leaving a sports club. Hassan Abu Warda died of his wounds, and later Wasim Abu Warda also passed away. Two others from the clan were wounded. According to Palestinian sources, the four belonged to a local group that operated in the Jabalia al-Balad area. It is claimed that during the war, there were allegedly ties and a sharing of interests between members of the group and the military wing of Hamas, while simultaneously, allegations were raised against them regarding involvement in theft, looting, and exploitation of humanitarian aid.
Later, according to reports, a conflict broke out between them and Al-Qassam operatives, particularly after the group gained influence and began to act more independently. Palestinian sources claimed that the dispute reached the leadership of the military wing of Hamas, and that a decision was made to eliminate the four. The killing of Hassan and Wasim ignited anger among the clan members. During Wasim's funeral in Jabalia, calls for justice were heard, alongside a demand to expose those responsible. Members of the clan warned that if steps are not taken, they might take matters into their own hands.
The Abu Warda clan is already pointing an accusing finger at Hamas. The head of the clan said after the event: "This is dangerous. Masked gunmen arrived and fired at them. We demand as soon as possible to clarify to us who our enemy is. We must know who our enemy is." Hamas is using force to regain control in these areas. The anger is not limited to this latest event. One senior clan member claimed that Hamas has killed 15 members of the Abu Warda clan without cause in the recent period. He accused Hamas security apparatuses of covering up the affair and threatened that the family would respond if the perpetrators are not quickly brought to justice.
On the other hand, the Hamas Ministry of Interior announced that gunmen were arrested after the shooting and an investigation was opened, but the confrontation around the Abu Warda clan is taking place within a much broader reality of the disintegration of internal order in the Strip. During the war, Israel supported and armed clans opposing Hamas as part of an attempt to weaken its rule and create alternative power centers—a project that largely failed on the ground. From Hamas's perspective, these groups are not just local rivals; it views them as collaborators with Israel and has acted against them to regain control in areas where its grip had weakened.
The recent events also sparked a lively discussion on social media in Gaza. A Gazan activist claimed that in the midst of the chaos, residents will demand the disarmament of the clans. He added: "I think that Hamas is behind this dangerous move so that it can hand over the clans' weapons as if they were its own, or hand over part of its weapons together with the clans' weapons, and thus the matter will be presented in the media as if Hamas has handed over its weapons."
