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Hamas carried out mass public executions in Gaza on Monday (October 13), hours after a peace treaty with Israel was officially signed, in gruesome footage obtained and authenticated by the BBC.
The video shows eight blindfolded and badly beaten men kneeling in the street before being shot to death by militant gunmen in front of a cheering crowd, with Hamas claiming the killings targeted "criminals and collaborators with Israel," despite not providing evidence. Ahmad Zidan al-Tarabin, who was reportedly responsible for recruiting agents to a rival non-Hamas-aligned militia, was identified as one of the men killed in the public executions, according to the Israeli outlet Ynet via the New York Post.
Hamas reportedly reasserted its control over Gaza following the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces in adherence with the peace agreement. The militant group reportedly targeted the "clans," which are family-based armed groups that grew stronger during the war in Gaza, and began deadly reprisals even prior to the signing of the peace deal with Israel on Monday, according to the New York Post.
Fifty-two members of the Doghmush clan and 12 Hamas militants, including the son of senior official Bassem Naim, were reportedly killed during clashes between the two groups on Sunday (October 12), according to reports in Gaza. All of the 20 remaining living Israeli hostages were released by Hamas on Monday as part of the first phase of the agreement.
A previous ceasefire lasted from January 19 to March 18, which was followed by a barrage of deadly airstrikes launched by Israel across the Gaza Strip.