Palestinians try to extinguish a fire in a vehicle destroyed by an Israeli airstrike south of Gaza City on Thursday. (EPA)
09:53-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH
Reports of attempted assassinations, defections and deadly escape attempts have exposed growing tensions within Israeli-backed armed gangs operating in areas of Gaza under Israeli control, according to Palestinian faction sources, Hamas security officials and statements issued by local families.
The groups operate east of the so-called Yellow Line, the boundary separating Israeli-held territory from areas controlled by Palestinian factions, primarily Hamas.
Since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have carried out near-daily strikes and targeted killings, expanded the territory under their control and, in many operations, relied on local armed groups backed by drone and artillery support.
Failed assassination attempt
Two field sources from Palestinian factions monitoring the gangs told Asharq Al-Awsat that two gunmen from Jabalia, northern Gaza, attempted to assassinate Shawqi Abu Nasira, who leads a group based north of Khan Younis and east of Deir al-Balah.
One of the men was a former member of Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, who had defected.
The attack, carried out about two weeks ago, failed for reasons that remain unclear to the Palestinian side, according to one source. Both suspects were subsequently arrested and handed over to officers from Israel’s Shin Bet security agency for questioning.
The second source maintained that the pair had acted independently, although their motives were unknown.
It was unclear whether the attempt stemmed from disputes with Abu Nasira and his associates or reflected a desire to reverse their defections and leave the gangs.
The incident comes amid reports of members abandoning their positions and returning to their families in areas west of the Yellow Line.
Internal disputes and defections
A security official from Gaza’s Hamas-run administration, who monitors the armed groups, reported growing internal friction, with some disagreements escalating into exchanges of gunfire between members and commanders.
Some disputes involved drug trafficking, while others arose from gunmen seeking to break away and return home.
Several members had contacted their families in recent months, asking them to coordinate with security agencies and clan leaders to secure permission to return and guarantees of safety, the official told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Others offered to act as informants for security bodies affiliated with the Palestinian factions or carry out attacks against the gangs.
The official cited an incident two months earlier in which a gunman attempted to assassinate Hussam al-Astal, who heads an armed group in southern Khan Younis.
According to the same source, five attempts to flee gang-controlled areas toward territory held by Palestinian factions were documented over the past two weeks.
All five men were killed by bombs dropped from quadcopter drones, the official revealed.
A field source in Rafah, southern Gaza, provided further details, reporting that Israeli drones had killed two young men three days earlier as they tried to escape from the gang formerly led by Yasser Abu Shabab, who was killed in late 2025.
The group is now headed by Ghassan al-Dahini.
Three other men were killed in two separate incidents while attempting to flee from southern and eastern Khan Younis, according to the source.
Entire families flee
In recent weeks, families in central and southern Gaza, including the Abu Shamkha, al-Assar and al-Shaer families, have issued statements mourning relatives killed while trying to return home after deciding to sever ties with the armed gangs.
Meanwhile, Hamas security forces were taken by surprise several weeks ago when entire families fled areas controlled by a group led by former Palestinian security officer Ashraf al-Mansi in northern Gaza.
Hundreds reached Hamas-controlled territory, where security personnel questioned them and established a camp to accommodate them.
The displaced families were subsequently placed under what the authorities described as “remote surveillance.”
