A Palestinian militia backed by Israel said on Monday it had killed a senior Hamas police official in the southern Gaza Strip, with Hamas blaming "Israeli collaborators" for the attack, Reuters reported.
A statement from the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said gunmen opened fire from a car and killed Mahmoud al-Astal, the head of the criminal police in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave. The attackers were described as "collaborators of the occupiers."
Husam al-Astal, the leader of an anti-Hamas group based in the Israeli-controlled area east of Khan Yunis, claimed responsibility for the killing in a video posted on his Facebook page. The last name he shares with the slain man, al-Astal, is common in that part of Gaza.
"Those who work with Hamas, it is your destiny to be killed. Death is coming to you," he said, dressed in a black military-like uniform and holding an automatic rifle.
Reuters could not independently confirm the circumstances of the attack. An Israeli military official said the military was not aware of any operations in the area.
The emergence of armed anti-Hamas groups, although still small and localized, has put additional pressure on the Islamists and could complicate efforts to stabilize and unify a divided Gaza, devastated by two years of war, according to Reuters.
These groups remain unpopular with the local population because they operate in areas under Israeli control, although they publicly deny taking orders from Israel. Hamas has in the past carried out public executions of people it accuses of collaboration.
Under a ceasefire in place since October, Israel has withdrawn from almost half of the Gaza Strip, but its troops still control the other half, largely a wasteland where almost all buildings have been razed to the ground.
Almost all of the territory's two million residents now live in areas under Hamas control, mostly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, where the group is re-establishing its rule.
Four Hamas sources said the organization still commands several thousand fighters, despite heavy losses during the war, Reuters reported.
Israel allows Hamas's rivals to operate in areas it controls. The later stages of US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza envision a further Israeli withdrawal and Hamas handing over power to an internationally-backed administration, but no progress has been made on those steps so far.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli support for anti-Hamas groups in June, saying Israel had "activated" the clans, but has not provided many details since.
The ceasefire ended major fighting in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides accuse each other of regular violations. More than 440 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.
Gaza health authorities said today that Israeli drone fire killed at least three people near the center of Khan Yunis.
The Israeli military said the individuals were militants who approached troops in the military-controlled part of Gaza and were killed to "eliminate the threat."
The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when militants from Gaza invaded Israel, killing about 1.200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
The subsequent Israeli military offensive on Gaza killed more than 71.000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's Health Ministry, leading to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel rejects.
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