Grisly video shows how Gaza peace can fall apart

4 hours ago 2

Palestinians only had to wait a few hours to discover the peace they were promised in Gaza could sound a lot like war.

As US President Donald Trump and other world leaders were promising peace, Hamas fighters dragged seven men into a small square in Gaza City and forced them to kneel on the ground.

As civilians watched from storefronts around the square, the gunmen raised their automatic weapons and shot the men from behind. A video of the executions shows dozens of rounds being fired.

The video was reported and verified by Reuters, which cited an unnamed Hamas source who confirmed the executions took place on Monday night, local time.

There were no Israeli bombings, no tanks rolling through streets and no bulldozers tearing down Palestinian homes. The killings were not the same as the onslaught the people of Gaza have suffered over the past two years.

But they were confirmation that the fighting is not over.

A screenshot from a video posted by Reuters purported to show Hamas fighters executing men alleged to be Israeli collaborators on a Gaza City street.

One account says the men were killed for being “collaborators” with Israel. Whatever the reason, the message is the same: Hamas is reasserting its authority.

Trump has set out a peace plan with 20 points that begin with a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages. But the plan also includes an amnesty for Hamas fighters who give up their weapons, the safe passage of those fighters to other countries and a new transitional authority to run Gaza.

The executions tell the world that Hamas does not want safe passage out of Gaza. It wants to bring its fighters back into the areas it used to control.

Eyewitness accounts are rare because most of the media is barred from Gaza, but the BBC reports that Hamas has mobilised 7000 fighters to resume its control. Reuters estimates Hamas has killed at least 33 people since Monday. Agence France-Presse reports that Hamas has set up a “deterrence force” against opponents.

There are Israeli shootings, as well. The Israel Defence Forces opened fire on Palestinians approaching them in northern Gaza. The IDF told The Associated Press the people did not comply with orders to stop. The Gaza Health Ministry said three died.

Israel has withdrawn its forces to the lines they held in about August last year, under the terms of the ceasefire, but the IDF still controls about half of Gaza. It is in territory that Hamas believes to be Palestinian soil, and there is every chance of further flashpoints.

There is also a broader threat to the peace. Hamas promised to release the bodies of 28 hostages who died in captivity, but has only released four so far.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Israeli leaders to suspend the ceasefire agreement until the 28 were returned. “An agreement must be honoured by both sides. If Hamas does not fulfil their part, Israel should not fulfil its part either,” it said. And the Israeli government is listening.

Israel said it allowed 600 trucks into Gaza on Sunday as the ceasefire took effect, but it has told the United Nations it will cut this to 300 because Hamas has not met the terms of the ceasefire. There are reports the Rafah crossing in the south of the territory will be closed.

This means punishing Palestinian civilians for the failure of Hamas, but that is not new in this conflict. United Nations emergency relief director Tom Fletcher told the BBC that both sides needed to honour the ceasefire deal.

“That does mean that Hamas has got to get the bodies home, as they promised,” he said. “But it also means that Israel has to keep the crossings open and allow us to deliver the aid that is so desperately needed at scale.”

Trump led a major achievement in securing the ceasefire. With luck, the argument over the terms of the agreement will be settled, so the aid trucks can cross into Gaza.

Israeli armoured vehicles moving thought Gaza on Tuesday.

At the same time, the peace plan is clearly in doubt. Yes, the ceasefire holds. The broader peace, however, is a work in progress.

On the list of 20 points in the wider peace plan, the first is that Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours. It is, of course, impossible to be sure of that right now.

The fourth point is that Hamas releases all hostages, alive and dead – a pledge already broken.

The seventh point is that full aid is immediately sent into Gaza – a big promise now in question.

It is too early to judge whether we are seeing a series of clashes and disputes that break the ceasefire. But the events of the past 24 hours, if they continue, look like the way the peace may fall apart.