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No fewer than 27 people have been killed in fierce confrontations between Hamas armed units and fighters of the Dughmush tribe in the Gaza urban area, marking one of the most violent internal confrontations since the conclusion of large-scale Israeli military actions in the region.

Disguised Hamas fighters traded gunfire with tribal combatants near the city's healthcare center, according to local sources.

Official Statement

A top authority in the interior ministry under Hamas stated that armed units surrounded them and participated in intense combat to capture them. The ministry reported that eight of its members were lost in "a militant attack by a armed group".

Healthcare officials confirmed that 19 Dughmush family fighters and 8 Hamas security personnel had been fatally injured since conflict started on the weekend.

Local Testimonies

Local residents reported that the violence broke out in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in the southern part of Gaza City after a Hamas unit of over 300 militants proceeded to assault a apartment building where Dughmush gunmen were entrenched.

Residents described scenes of panic as many residents fled their homes under sustained firearm exchanges, with many of them having been displaced multiple times during the hostilities.

"In this instance people weren't fleeing Israeli assaults," one resident stated. "They were fleeing from their own people."

Existing Tensions

The Dughmush tribe, one of Gaza's most prominent clans, has historically maintained a tense relationship with the ruling movement, and its armed members have confronted the movement on multiple instances in the past.

The Hamas-run interior ministry said its personnel were attempting to reestablish control, warning that "any armed activity not within the system of the Palestinian resistance" would be handled strictly.

Conflicting Accounts

Each faction exchanged blame over who initiated the violence for instigating the violence.

The movement earlier said that Dughmush gunmen eliminated 2 its militants and wounded five additional members, prompting the movement to commence a mission against them.

However, a source from the Dughmush family told local media that Hamas fighters had arrived at a building that formerly operated as the Jordanian medical center, where the tribe had sought shelter after their homes in the al-Sabra district were demolished in the previous Israeli assault.

The source alleged that the authority attempted to remove the tribe from the premises to set up a fresh headquarters for its forces there.

Broader Situation

Hamas has reactivated around 7,000 fighters of its security forces to reinforce authority over areas of Gaza recently vacated by Israeli military, according to local sources.

Reports suggest that armed Hamas units have been positioned across multiple areas, with some wearing civilian clothes and the remainder in the blue gear of the Gaza security forces. The Hamas communication department rejected that it was deploying "fighters in the streets".