At least 27 people have been killed in some of the deadliest internal fighting in Gaza in recent months, as security forces loyal to Hamas clashed with armed members of the influential Dughmush family in the southern districts of Gaza City.

According to eyewitnesses, intense gun battles broke out on Saturday in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood near the former Jordanian Hospital. Masked Hamas operatives reportedly exchanged heavy fire with entrenched clan fighters, sending panic through residential areas and prompting dozens of families to flee under a hail of gunfire.

A senior official from the Hamas-run interior ministry confirmed that its forces had surrounded the compound and were engaged in a "security operation" to arrest what it described as a “militia” involved in armed activity outside the purview of the resistance. The ministry said eight of its personnel were killed during what it labelled an "armed assault."

Medical sources said that 19 members of the Dughmush clan were killed in the confrontation, alongside the eight Hamas fighters, bringing the total death toll to at least 27.

The clashes erupted when more than 300 Hamas gunmen moved in on a building where Dughmush family members had taken refuge. Residents said the building was once used as the Jordanian Hospital, and that the family had been sheltering there after their homes in the al-Sabra neighbourhood were destroyed during recent Israeli attacks.

"This time, people weren’t running from Israeli bombardments," said one local resident. "They were fleeing from their own people."

The Hamas interior ministry defended its actions, saying the operation aimed to restore law and order. It issued a warning that “any armed activity outside the framework of the resistance will be dealt with decisively.”

While Hamas accused the Dughmush fighters of killing two of its members and wounding five others, prompting the raid, a Dughmush family source told local media that Hamas was attempting to expel them from the building to establish a new operational base. The family, one of Gaza’s most powerful clans, has long had a tense relationship with the ruling group, with several prior episodes of armed confrontation.

The flare-up comes amid wider efforts by Hamas to re-establish control over parts of the Gaza Strip vacated by Israeli troops. Local sources say the group has recalled roughly 7,000 security personnel and redeployed them across multiple districts, some in civilian clothing and others in official police uniforms. However, the Hamas media office denied it was deploying fighters to patrol the streets.

Source: BBC

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