Adnkronos Gaza, October 14 (Adnkronos) – Gruesome images of men kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their backs before being executed by Hamas. Videos on social media, showing members of the Islamist movement carrying out summary sentences on alleged Israeli collaborators, are fueling existing fears that the Gaza peace agreement is at risk.
Armed militants, some wearing Hamas headbands, stand behind the victims with their faces covered before shots ring out and seven men fall to the ground, kneeling, apparently lifeless. The cheering crowd chants "Allah Akbar" ("God is great"), accusing the executed men of being "collaborators," while filming the horrific scenes with their cell phones.
Footage released shortly after the Trump-brokered peace deal came into force, the authenticity of which was confirmed by a Hamas source, has raised concerns among observers, who believe the militant group may refuse to lay down its arms in a desperate attempt to maintain power, the Daily Mail reports. This speculation is compounded by reports that Hamas has recalled approximately 7.000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza abandoned by Israeli troops. Analysts fear that Trump's peace deal could be jeopardized by the Islamic Resistance Movement's failure to return the bodies of all 28 Israeli hostages who died in captivity. So far, they have released only four.
Last month, Hamas admitted to executing three men accused of collaborating with Israel, and the video—shared on social media with the caption "Hamas takes advantage of the truce with Israel and eliminates internal opponents, does anyone believe in this peace?"—may indicate the movement is attempting to regain control through fear and violence. Gaza residents have reported that fighters are increasingly visible, deployed along aid delivery routes. Palestinian security sources say dozens of people have been killed in clashes between Hamas fighters and rival groups in recent days.