On October 13, the Hamas-affiliated Arrow Unit publicly executed eight members of Gaza’s Doghmush clan on charges of allegedly collaborating with Israel. Since the ceasefire between Palestinian factions and Israel went into effect on October 10, Hamas has carried out a campaign of punishment against clans, militias, and individuals in the Gaza Strip that it has accused of “opposing the resistance.”
The Arrow Unit, a specialized force established by the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza, has led the crackdown. The unit posted footage of the recent execution on its Telegram channel, along with a warning. “This is the fate of every traitor to the homeland and to religion — the moment of the execution of the occupation’s agents from the Doghmush family,” the Arrow Unit wrote.
The Arrow Unit also warned that it would continue to target the Dughmush clan, the Abu Samra and Hallas families, and others who opposed Hamas during the war.
Ties between the Doghmush clan and Hamas have long been volatile, alternating between cooperation and confrontation. For example, Mumtaz Doghmush founded the Salafist-jihadist group known as the Jaysh al Islam (Army of Islam), which cooperated with Hamas and other armed organizations in abducting Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. However, following the abduction, the relationship between Jaysh al Islam and Hamas soured. In 2008, Hamas-run security forces killed 10 members of the Doghmush clan who were members of the Army of Islam.
The Arrow Unit has also suffered casualties in the recent crackdown. On October 12, it announced the death Naim Basem Naim, the son of senior Hamas member Basem Naim, and blamed the Doghmush clan for killing him in recent clashes. Notably, the Arrow Unit stated that Naim belonged to its organization, adding to the mounting evidence that the Arrow Unit is not an independent entity; instead, an extension of Hamas consisting of members of the Islamist group.
Another group targeted by the Arrow Unit, the anti-Hamas Popular Army—Northern Forces (located in northern Gaza), has remained defiant. Following the execution of the Doghmush clan members, the group published a statement, denying that it had suffered losses at the hands of Hamas and warning the Islamist group not to enter its territory of operations.
In contrast, the crackdown has elicited a different response from the Al Majayda family, which has reportedly clashed with Hamas in recent weeks. On October 13, the family posted a statement on Facebook saying that it would collect its weapons and hand them over to Hamas.
Since the executions on October 13, an unverified Facebook account associated with the Doghmush clan has claimed an additional death of a family member at the hands of the Arrow Unit. “Even women have not been spared from being killed by Hamas’ agents. Umm Jalal Doghmush was murdered, and they are now fabricating charges against her to justify their actions,” the author wrote. Other unverified social media accounts claimed that Jalal Doghmush’s son, Khalil, was also killed by the Arrow Unit.
Hamas’s crackdown has received condemnation from the international community. For example, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said on October 15 that Hamas should cease killing innocent Palestinians. Cooper directed Hamas to “adhere” to US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan and disarm. Germany’s foreign ministry also issued a statement accusing Hamas of carrying out “acts of terror against the Palestinian population.”
