Israeli air strikes on Gaza may have halted, and a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is ongoing, but tucked behind the headlines, tensions are brewing in Gaza between Hamas and armed groups.
On Sunday, clashes erupted between an armed clan and Hamas security forces, killing at least 27 people, including eight members of Hamas, according to the Ministry of Interior in Gaza.
Caught in the crossfire was 28-year-old Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi, who was covering clashes in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood between what security sources told Al Jazeera Arabic was an “armed militia” and Hamas.
Is that the only militia in Gaza? Who are these armed gangs? What are their goals? And are they really affiliated with Israel?
Here’s all you need to know:
Who fought Hamas on Sunday?
Media reports and sources said the clan that was fighting Hamas in Gaza City is the Doghmush clan.
The large family has members in various factions across the political spectrum in Gaza.
Momtaz Doghmush was involved in the group Jaish al-Islam’s capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2008. Other clan members have been in Hamas or groups affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.
Some reports claimed the Doghmush who fought Hamas on Sunday were affiliated with Israel, but other sources from Gaza deny the affiliation with Israel.
What happened?
The Sahem unit, an armed unit affiliated with the Interior Ministry, said the clashes started on Saturday when “an outlaw gang killed resistance fighters from the Qassam Brigades”, the armed wing of Hamas, near the Jordan Field Hospital in Gaza City.
Witnesses told the BBC that 300 Hamas fighters stormed a residential block where Doghmush gunmen were holed up, and a Palestinian security source told the Reuters news agency that Hamas launched a campaign in Gaza City that killed 32 members of “a gang”.
According to the Interior Ministry, eight Hamas members and 19 clan members were killed. Aljafarawi was also killed.
There was an outpouring of grief over Aljafarawi’s killing in the midst of which a video of him greeting his friend and colleague Anas al-Sharif circulated on social media.
Al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera correspondent, was killed by Israel on August 10. Aljafarawi, like al-Sharif, was reportedly threatened multiple times by the Israelis over his reporting.
Are the Doghmush really backed by Israel?
That’s still unclear.
There is conflicting information. Some reports from inside Gaza said the clan has an Israeli affiliation, but the group’s leaders have denied that.
In early October, Nizar Doghmush, head