Hamas has created the ‘perfect recipe for civil war’ after the terror group vowed to ‘cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel’, an expert has warned.
Some 7,000 gunmen have been called on by Hamas to reassert control over areas of the enclave that were vacated by Israeli forces during the two-year-long war.
It comes as Israel expects all living hostages to be released by Hamas within hours – bringing to an end horrifying ordeals that included starvation, torture and being forced to dig their own graves.
However, Israel and Hamas are said to be locked in last-minute negotiations over the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas units have been deployed across several districts, while the militant group has already appointed five new governors, all with military backgrounds.
Fearing of a civil war in Gaza, a retired security officer who served for years with the Palestinian Authority said he feared the territory was heading towards another round of internal conflict.
‘Hamas hasn’t changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive,’ he told the BBC.
‘Gaza is flooded with arms. Looters have stolen thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition from Hamas stores during the war, and some groups have even received supplies from Israel.
Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, October 12
Palestinians continue to return from southern to northern Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire
Residents move north along Al-Rashid Street with whatever belongings they managed to carry
‘This is a perfect recipe for civil war: weapons, frustration, chaos, and a movement desperate to reassert control over a shattered and exhausted population.’
The mobilisation order was issued via phone calls and text messages that read: ‘We declare a general mobilisation in response to the call of national and religious duty, to cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel.
‘You must report within 24 hours to your designated locations using your official codes.’
Images show gun-wielding officers, several of them in plain clothes and others in blue uniforms, patrolling the streets as tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed norther Gaza Strip.
Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in Trump’s ceasefire plan.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.
But the latest truce marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year conflict that was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90 percent of the Gaza population of some two million, often multiple times. Many of them will find fields of rubble where their homes once stood.
The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire on Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday.
A large crowd gathers for first aid trucks in Gaza on October 12 amid the ceasefire
Civilians in Gaza continue to return from southern to northern Gaza on day three of the ceasefire
Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military’s announcement.
Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.
‘If this is achieved the easy way – so be it. If not – it will be achieved the hard way,’ Netanyahu said.
The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 per cent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.
Meanwhile, the United Nations was given the green light by Israel to begin delivering scaled-up aid into Gaza starting Sunday, a U.N. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
The aid shipments are meant to address severe malnutrition and famine conditions triggered by Israeli offensives and restrictions on humanitarian help.
The International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Netanyahu and his former defense minister for allegedly using starvation as a method of war. Israeli officials deny the accusations.
The aid will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been positioned in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt as humanitarian officials awaited permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.
The Israeli hostages were expected to be released ‘any moment now’, US vice-president JD Vance said today.
But talks have cast a shadow of doubt on their release, The Telegraph first reported.
Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said earlier: ‘Israel is ready… if a living hostage requires any urgent medical attention, they will be brought to a medical facility immediately.’
