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At least 27 lives have been claimed in intense exchanges between Hamas fighters and militants of the Dughmush tribe in the Gaza urban area, marking one of the most violent internal confrontations since the cessation of major Israeli operations in the territory.

Disguised Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with family militants near the city's medical facility, according to observers.

Authority Report

A senior official in the Hamas-controlled interior ministry stated that security forces surrounded them and entered fierce battles to capture them. The department reported that eight its personnel were killed in "a militant attack by a paramilitary force".

Medical sources confirmed that 19 Dughmush tribe militants and 8 Hamas militants had been fatally injured since fighting began on recently.

Local Accounts

Local residents reported that the violence erupted in the Tel al-Hawa district in south Gaza City after a Hamas unit of more than 300 fighters proceeded to assault a residential block where Dughmush militants were fortified.

Civilians described frightening moments as dozens of families escaped their dwellings under intense shooting, with numerous individuals having been forced to move frequently during the hostilities.

"In this instance residents weren't escaping Israeli attacks," a local inhabitant stated. "They were fleeing from members of their community."

Existing Tensions

The Dughmush family, a significant Gaza family, has long had a tense relationship with the ruling movement, and its armed members have engaged in violence with the group on multiple instances in the previous years.

The Hamas-controlled interior ministry stated its units were seeking to restore order, alerting that "every paramilitary operation beyond the structure of the national struggle" would be handled strictly.

Opposing Versions

Both sides leveled charges over which party was accountable for instigating the violence.

The movement initially reported that Dughmush fighters fatally wounded two of its fighters and hurt five more personnel, resulting in the movement to initiate an action against them.

In contrast, a Dughmush clan insider informed Palestinian outlets that Hamas fighters had come to a facility that once served as the Jordanian Hospital, where the tribe had found sanctuary after their dwellings in the al-Sabra district were destroyed in the previous Israeli assault.

The source asserted that the authority attempted to remove the clan from the building to establish a new base for its personnel there.

Larger Situation

Hamas has mobilized around 7,000 fighters of its security forces to reinforce authority over Gaza territories previously evacuated by Israeli military, according to area informants.

Accounts reveal that armed Hamas units have already deployed across multiple areas, with certain members in plain attire and others in the blue gear of the Gaza police. The Hamas media office denied that it was stationing combatants in urban zones.