Gazan clan executes alleged Hamas operative who killed one of their relatives
Members of the Abu Samra clan of Deir al-Balah filmed killing an alleged Hamas member in the street, as dissent against terror group grows in the Strip
Members of a prominent Gazan family in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday executed a man who they said was a Hamas operative responsible for the deadly shooting of one of their relatives earlier in the day.
The gunmen were members of the Abu Samra clan of central Gaza. They said they killed the Hamas member after he shot their relative Abdulrahman Sha’aban Abu Samra while he was waiting in line for flour in Deir al-Balah.
Members of the family said they managed to track down the Hamas operative responsible and brought him in front of the entrance of Deir al-Balah where several relatives opened fire.
Footage of the execution was shared widely on Palestinian social media and appeared to highlight growing fury with Hamas among Gaza civilians.
Gaza has dozens of powerful families like the Abu Samra family, who function as well-organized clans. Many do not have formal links to Hamas. They derive their power from controlling businesses and command the loyalty of hundreds or thousands of relatives. Each family has a leader, known as a mukhtar, or chieftain.
Some of the larger clans in Gaza are believed to be well-armed, and have a long history of clashing over rival interests, as well as with Hamas.
???? فيديو : التحفظ على القـ ـا تل الحمـ،،،ـساوي قبل اعد|مه حيث انه قـ ـتـ ـل قبلها بلحظات الشاب عبد الرحمن شعبان أبو سمرة " أبو عبيد " في دير البلح pic.twitter.com/qjMBXym3wG
— ابو الحسن ???????? (@_G4Z4_) April 1, 2025
Last spring, a conflict arose between Hamas and the Doghmush clan, a powerful family in Gaza City, due to disputes over aid distribution and reports that the family was being contacted by Israel for a possible role in post-war government, an idea that Jerusalem floated at the time.
Hamas reportedly killed the leader of the clan, with reports on Arab media saying that he was “executed” in a family compound along with two others.
الشهيد المغدور عبد الرحمن ابو سمره .. نم قرير العين يا عبود ..
الرجال أخذو بثارك pic.twitter.com/ixkMkHKsFd— المنخل (@almonkhol) April 1, 2025
A wave of protests against Hamas has swept the Strip for the past week, with thousands participating cumulatively, revealing cracks in the iron grip that the terror group has over the Strip.
Participants have come under threat from Hamas and other Gaza terror groups, who have warned that they will be treated as collaborators with Israel.
A Hamas official commented on the wave of protests last week after a few days of silence from the group but insisted that the protests were directed against Israel and the ongoing war rather than against the terror group ruling the Strip.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told the Qatari channel Al-Araby that “demonstrations are expected from people facing extermination, against war and destruction.”
Despite multiple media reports, images, and videos from protests, as well as media interviews with Gazans to the contrary, Naim claimed the rallies are being misrepresented as criticizing Hamas’s de facto regime.
The terror group has violently cracked down on previous protests. However, this time, no outright intervention was apparent, which some saw as a sign of its waning power in the wake of Israel’s military campaign.
However, over the weekend, Hamas operatives kidnapped, tortured and executed a 22-year-old Palestinian man who participated in last week’s protests against the terror group, according to his family.
Oday Nasser Al Rabay’s body was left in front of his family’s home, and on Saturday, many dozens were filmed participating in his funeral procession, shouting, “Hamas out!”
The Times of Israel Community.