Horrifying footage has emerged purporting to show Palestinians being executed by Hamas, sparking fears that the Gaza peace deal is already at risk of collapsing as the terror group tries to cling to power.
In disturbing footage circulating on social media, a group of men can be seen kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their backs.
Armed militants – some wearing Hamas-style headbands – stand behind the victims with their faces covered before gunshots ring out and the seven kneeling men fall to the ground, apparently lifeless.
Cheering crowds scream ‘Allah Akbar,’ or God is Great, and brand the executed men ‘collaborators’ while filming the horrific scenes on their mobiles phones.
The video – thought to have been captured in Gaza on Monday – has sparked concern among observers, coming just days after a Trump-brokered peace deal aimed at ending more than two years of violence came into effect.
It also emerged amid reports Hamas has recalled around 7,000 members of its security forces to reassert control over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli troops.
Analysts are similarly concerned that Trump’s peace deal could be put at risk by the failure of Hamas to return the bodies of all 28 Israeli hostages that died in captivity. So far, they have only released four.
The video has been widely shared with claims that the shooters are Hamas fighters executing fellow Palestinians.
The Daily Mail could not immediately verify the circumstances of the footage, when or where the video was filmed, who the gunmen are, or whether the victims were accused of collaboration.
However, last month, Hamas-led authorities admitted that they had executed three men accused of collaborating with Israel.
It is feared that if the video is genuine, it could indicate Hamas is attempting to reassert control through fear and violence.
The video was shared along with the caption: ‘Hamas takes advantage of the truce with Israel and eliminates internal opponents, does anyone believe in this peace?’
In the past, Hamas has been accused of carrying out public executions on the streets of Gaza. Several human rights groups and world leaders have condemned the form of punishment.
Yesterday, US president Donald Trump and mediators signed a peace deal in Egypt to end the war in Gaza.
It came after Hamas released all living hostages in its custody who were captured on October 7, 2023, when the group launched a brutal massacre on Israel.
The group’s action sparked the war in Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced millions of families.
But there is still anger in Israel as the bereaved families of hostages who died in captivity condemned the fact that only the bodies of four out of the 28 people who died have been returned.
Some families are reported to have been expecting a reunion with their families, only to find out that they had been killed.
In the 20-point peace deal, one of the stipulations is that Gaza must be demilitarised.
It also states that Hamas will not be involved in the governance of the region, which will be ‘administered by a temporary, transitional government of Palestinian technocrats who will be responsible for providing day-to-day services for the people of the Strip.’
But the new brutal video has sparked fears that the militant group may refuse to lay down their weapons in a desperate attempt to hold on to power.
Additionally, a violent power struggle between Hamas and its bitter rivals in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people.
The confrontation between the group and armed members of the Dughmush family began on Saturday and quickly spread across several neighbourhoods.
