Just days after Trump celebrated a major breakthrough in peace negotiations, a disturbing video emerged showing Hamas men publicly executing blindfolded Gazans.
Even as US President Donald Trump scrambles to make the Israel–Hamas peace deal a success, reports from Gaza paint a grim picture.
Just days after Trump celebrated a major breakthrough in peace negotiations, a disturbing video emerged showing Hamas men publicly executing eight blindfolded Gazans. In the clip, the Gazans are seen knelt down as armed men stand behind them and open fire.
Although the clip has gone viral, HT has chosen not to share it due to its graphic and disturbing nature.
The video, reportedly shared by Hamas, surfaces amid Trump’s warning to Hamas to lay down its arms. The barbaric killing took place on Monday, just hours after Trump hailed "the end of the age of terror and death" during his address at the Israeli Parliament, reported the New York Post.
The public executions were reportedly linked to the clashes between Hamas and rival groups in Gaza. According to CNN, the location of the mass execution was the al Sabra neighborhood in Gaza, where Hamas had recently clashed with the Doghmush family, a prominent clan there.
A Hamas-affiliated security force called Radaa reportedly spoke of an "operation" in Gaza City, which it said led to "the neutralization of several wanted individuals and outlaws".
The video was broadcast late Monday on Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV's Telegram channel with the caption: "The resistance carries out the death sentence against a number of collaborators and outlaws in Gaza City."
Meanwhile, a human rights body formed by the Palestinian authority sought an end to these killings. "The wave of extrajudicial executions and shootings in the legs that occurred after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip cannot be justified under any circumstances," the group was quoted as saying by AFP.
Israel-Hamas peace deal hits a snag
Just days after Donald Trump credited himself for the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages, the peace deal seems to have hit a snag.
While all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages were released from the Gaza Strip, remains of roughly 20 deceased Israeli hostages are yet to be released. Israel has announced that it would cut the aid flowing into Gaza by half until all remains are handed over.
“We certainly very much hope that the bodies of the hostages are handed over and that the ceasefire continues to be implemented,” Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, said.
With the situation heating up, Trump not only demanded the handover of bodies, but also threatened Hamas with retaliation if it does not lay down its arms. “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. They know I’m not playing games,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.