Hamas will mobilize around 7,000 men to carry out a 'cleansing' in the Gaza Strip

On Monday, Hamas announced the mobilization of 7,000 members of its security forces with the goal of "cleansing Gaza of criminals and collaborators", including activists armed by Israel. This statement has caused strong fears of a possible civil war within the Palestinian enclave, already devastated by years of conflict with Israel.

The announcement came just as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began their withdrawal from the territory, as part of the historic peace agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

This withdrawal is creating a power vacuum that threatens to trigger internal strife among Palestinian factions seeking to assert themselves in the new post-conflict era.

According to a former security official of the Palestinian Authority, Gaza is flooded with weapons. During the last two years of war, looters have stolen thousands of weapons and ammunition from Hamas's depots, and some factions have even received supplies directly from Israel.

"This is a perfect recipe for a civil war: weapons, frustration, chaos, and a desperate move to regain control over an exhausted population," he warned.

Hamas, however, keeps that its goal is to restore order and ensure security after the ceasefire. On its official website, the group published statements attributed to an organization called "The Gaza City Families Gathering," which expressed its support for Hamas for "imposing order and protecting the lives and property of citizens."

This organization added that "Gaza will rise again with the will of its people, and it will be able to restore life despite all attempts at confusion and sabotage led by the occupation."

Nevertheless, the situation remains tense. The second phase of the peace agreement calls for the complete disarmament of Hamas, but the group has rejected this condition for now, requesting further negotiations before proceeding. This refusal has caused skepticism among mediators and regional leaders who fear an escalation of violence if consensus is not reached.

Additionally, clashes have been reported between Hamas and the powerful Dughmush faction, linked to Al Qaeda and with a long history of rivalries with the Islamist group. According to some media outlets, at least 27 people died in intense street fighting between Hamas members and Dughmush clan activists in the vicinity of the Jordanian Hospital in Gaza City.

Internal factional tensions are not new, but the weakening of Hamas after the war and the withdrawal of Israeli control appear to have reactivated old disputes and fueled the ambition of certain groups to gain territorial influence. Israeli sources claim that thousands of Palestinians actively fought against Hamas during the conflict, which could now translate into even greater fragmentation within Gaza.