Gazan anti-Hamas activist critically wounded in attack by some 20 men said to be from terror group

The family of a well-known Gaza activist who had organized anti-Hamas protests say he was assaulted by a group of men wielding batons and knives.

Amin Abed, 35, is in critical condition in a hospital in northern Gaza after being attacked on Monday while walking home. His father, Salah Abed, detailed the attack in a Facebook post without saying who was responsible.

Amer Balousha, a friend of the activist, says more than 20 masked men attacked him. He said that when bystanders intervened, the attackers fired shots in the air and claimed to be from Hamas’s internal security.

There was no comment from Hamas.

Amin Abed had helped organize protests in 2019 over the harsh economic conditions under Hamas rule and taxes it imposed. Gaza has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power in 2007. More recently, he has criticized Hamas’s devastating Oct. 7 attack into Israel that triggered the war, which has brought unprecedented devastation and hunger to the Strip.

The Hamas-run police, which maintained a high degree of public order before the war, have largely vanished from the streets after being targeted in Israeli strikes, but the terror group still exerts control across the territory. Criminal gangs and other armed groups have exploited the breakdown of law and order, robbing aid convoys and further complicating humanitarian efforts.

Hamas militants brutally kidnapped Palestinian political activist Amin Abed, viciously assaulting him with batons and striking him on the head with sharp tools. He is now in critical condition in the hospital, fighting for his life.

Our hearts go out to Amin as he battles to… pic.twitter.com/m2c9BuXzrs

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) July 8, 2024

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.