Five Gazans who approached Israeli troop positions died in an airstrike – while Hamas gunmen are said to have killed dozens of people suspected of colluding with the IDF
Five Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza in recent hours as a fragile peace agreement still holds and amid a major bust-up over missing dead hostage bodies.
The latest Gazans to be killed were struck by the Israeli Defence Force for reportedly crossing the ceasefire line agreed between Israel and Hamas despite warning shots being fired close to them. It happened as violent clashes between Hamas and clansmen broke out, with brutal street executions ordered on alleged collaborators and militants are taking revenge.
The five died after approaching Israeli troop positions to where the military has withdrawn as part of the ceasefire, which began on Friday.
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The killings took place as the five crossed the ceasefire line, in an Israeli airstrike on the Shuja’iyya neighborhood in the Palestinian enclave. There are claims that the IDF fired warning shots but after the five continued an air strike was ordered to kill all of them.
Hamas gunmen are said to have killed dozens of people suspected of colluding with the IDF during the brutal two years which killed more than 67,000 Palestinians. It is thought many of those being killed within Gaza are from a major family called the Dughmush Clan which has struggled for power against Hamas.
Tension between the two groups have been building up for years and it is possible Israeli spies have tapped into the Dughmush for information to help in its war on Hamas. Footage circulating online has revealed Hamas publicly executing Palestinians at point-blank range in the hours following the Israel military withdrawal.
The killings have happened after previous wars between Hamas and Israel, dead bodies dragged by cars and motorbikes through the Strip’s streets. It is not known currently if this kind of grisly revenge display is taking place again inside Gaza.
Even in the hours after so-called peace between Israel and Hamas broke out there is a major bust-up developing over the non return of 24 dead hostage bodies. Hamas was given until Monday to release the remains to Israel in the hours following the long-awaited freedom of 20 Israeli hostages after more than two years captivity.
So far just four bodies have been returned to Israel by Monday evening- those of Yossi Sharabi, Daniel Perez, Guy Illouz, and Bipin Joshi. The IDF says the five Palestinians were killed after approaching forces and crossing the so-called Yellow Line, to which the military withdrew as part of the ceasefire.
Attempts were made to disperse the suspects, and after they refused to, the IDF says it carried out fire to “remove the threat.” The military said: “The IDF calls on Gaza residents to follow its instructions and not to approach the troops deployed in the area.”
Despite the killing and rows over dead bodies the tense ceasefire holds. The ceasefire agreement, published by Israeli media, appears to have acknowledged that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate where all the remains are within the timeframe given
As Israel’s freed hostages undergo medical checks, Israeli media are reporting news of their ordeals, including starvation and torture. In Gaza, many of the hundreds of Palestinians released after being held without charge by Israel during the war, have been alleging torture and mistreatment; some expecting to be reunited with their families find they’ve been killed.