Hamas says its internal security forces carried out coordinated ambushes over the past day against Israeli-backed armed groups operating in Gaza, underscoring the increasingly fragmented and violent power struggle inside the enclave.

Hamas’ so-called Deterrent Force said its operatives targeted gang members in both Khan Younis and Gaza City, killing several and seizing weapons it described as “Zionist military gear.” In Gaza City, the group claimed it confiscated equipment left behind after an ambush, while in Khan Younis it said some fighters fled, abandoning their arms.

A separate Hamas unit, Sahm 103—tasked with pursuing Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel—said the Khan Younis operation took place in the Batn al-Samin area, on the Hamas-controlled side of the city’s southwestern ceasefire line. According to the unit, those targeted were traveling in two vehicles and were en route to carry out a kidnapping operation on behalf of Israel. One of the vehicles, the unit claimed, managed to escape the ambush.

Neither Hamas statement identified the armed groups involved, a notable omission amid mounting reports of local militias operating independently of Hamas—and sometimes in open opposition to it—across southern Gaza.

However, in an evening video statement, Hossam al-Astal, who leads an anti-Hamas militia in the Khan Younis area and has publicly claimed to receive military assistance from Israel, said his fighters had clashed with Hamas earlier in the day in Batn al-Samin. Al-Astal said his group captured six Hamas operatives and killed several others. He did not mention any ambush by Hamas forces or losses suffered by his own militia.

The dueling claims highlight the growing complexity of Gaza’s internal battlefield, where Hamas is increasingly confronting not just Israel but also armed Palestinian rivals, some of whom openly acknowledge ties to Israel and frame themselves as local alternatives to Hamas’ rule.

Israeli officials have acknowledged encouraging non-Hamas actors inside Gaza, though they have rarely confirmed direct backing of specific militias. Hamas, for its part, has repeatedly accused Israel of cultivating criminal gangs and clan-based armed groups to undermine its control, particularly in areas where Hamas’ military infrastructure has been degraded by months of fighting.

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