By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas-led authorities in Gaza have executed three men accused of collaborating with Israel, a Palestinian official said, as the group seeks to crush rising challenges from Palestinian militias it says are working against it with Israeli support.
Two years into the Gaza war and with Hamas under relentless Israeli military pressure, small bands of armed Palestinians opposed to the group have surfaced in several parts of Gaza where they have been operating against it, according to residents and sources close to Hamas and to the groups.
In a video circulated on social media showing the executions, a masked man is seen issuing a warning to “all collaborators” before the three men, kneeling and blindfolded, are kicked onto their fronts and shot in front of a crowd.
Reuters confirmed the location as Gaza City by the buildings, a gas station, road layout, and signs seen in the video which matched file and satellite imagery of the area.
The Palestinian security official from the Hamas-run Gaza government said the executions were carried out on Sunday by the “Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian resistance”.
The videos showed “revolutionary rulings” being implemented against people for security collaboration with Israel, it said.
The executions aimed to send “a clear message and serve as a deterrent to anyone tempted to collaborate with the occupation”.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During the war, Hamas said it has publicly punished people for crimes including looting and collaboration with Israel. This video marked one of the most graphic demonstrations of this.
The Israeli military launched a ground offensive in Gaza City last week, pressing its campaign to defeat the group which sparked the war when it launched the 2023 attack on Israel.
ANALYST SAYS EXECUTIONS REFLECT ‘DEEP’ HAMAS CONCERN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly said in June that Israel is arming clans that oppose Hamas, without saying which.
The most prominent anti-Hamas rebel is Yasser Abu Shabab, based in Rafah in southern Gaza, an area controlled by Israel. He has denied receiving Israeli support or contacts with the Israeli army.
The Palestinian security official said some of the men executed on Sunday had ties to Abu Shabab.
Abu Shabab’s organisation did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via its Facebook page.
Palestinian analysts say Hamas, though weakened, could swiftly suppress rival groups if a ceasefire were reached, but while the war continues, it struggles to do so — especially as those groups move freely in Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza.
Abu Shabab’s armed group recently advertised on social media for recruits with police and security experience, promising monthly salaries from 3,000 to 5,000 shekels ($890 to $1,500).
Other groups opposed to Hamas have emerged in Beit Lahiya and Shejaia in northern Gaza, and in eastern Khan Younis in the south, sources close to Hamas and residents say.
Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah said the executions indicate that Hamas is deeply worried, especially as these groups now operate beyond their usual areas and their attacks show more capability and a rising threat to the movement.
($1 = 3.3489 shekels)
(Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem, Arthur Wei in Beijing and Catherine Cartier in Beirut; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by William Maclean)
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