US President Donald Trump threatened late Thursday, October 16, that he would endorse a military action against Hamas if it continues to target local gangs hired by Israel in the besieged Gaza strip.
“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
Trump’s stern warning was proclaimed, days after he was asked by reporters onboard Air Force One about the executions of who they considered Hamas’ rivals, suggesting they are a sign that Hamas is reestablishing its authority in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The answer of the US president then was totally contradictory to his Thursday post on Truth Social, because he confirmed to reporters that the US had given approval to the Palestinian group to do so “for a period of time” to eradicate crimes, and stop problems.
“They do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” Trump said.
“We are having ’em watch that there’s not going to be big crime or some of the problems that you have when you have areas like this that have been literally demolished,” he added.
Trump reiterated his acceptance of Hamas’s executions of members affiliated to “very, very bad gangs” on Tuesday, October 14, when reporters raised questions again regarding the matter.
“They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad, very, very bad gangs. And they did take them out, and they killed a number of gang members, and that didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you. That’s okay,” the US president stated.
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Who are these gangs and why does Hamas execute their members?
Media reports surfaced on Monday, October 13, that Hamas carried out field executions in Gaza City against a number of people, who are accused of being collaborators with the Israeli occupation and outlaws.
A recently-established Hamas unit called Rade’, which translates to deterrence force, was quoted saying that it has continued to carry out a comprehensive security campaign in different governorates across the war-torn enclave. The campaign resulted in arresting “numerous traitors and lawless elements.”
Rade’ confirmed that it will continue conducting investigations, and prosecuting whoever it finds complicit in Gaza city.
The force further clarified that it has imposed its control over sites belonging to an armed militia, carried out military sweep operations, and arrested members of those militias accused of shooting at displaced people and attacking civilians.
The prosecution of the Israeli-backed militias dates back to July 2025, when the Joint Operations Room of the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza issued a statement, branding the local armed gang Abu Shabab “traitors for hire”. Back then, the resistance factions warned “those who follow their path of aiding the occupation” that they “would receive no mercy”.
Read More: Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza brand local Abu Shabab gang “traitors for hire”
The statement was released a few days after the Revolutionary Court under the Military Judiciary in Gaza issued a 10-day ultimatum for Yasser Abu Shabab, who is the leader of the gang, to surrender himself to stand trial over charges of “treason and collaboration with hostile entities, forming an armed gang, and leading an armed rebellion.”
Abu Shabab was previously identified by the United Nations as a main aid looter, who has operated under the “passive or active” protection of the Israeli Occupation Forces.
In addition to aid looting, Abu Shabab and his militia of mercenaries were found complicit in selling some of the aid on the black market, and massacring hundreds of starved people at aid delivery points of the notorious US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The Abu Shabab gang is not the only lawless Israeli-backed group operating in Gaza
It is worth noting that the Abu Shabab gang is not the only lawless Israeli-backed militia operating in Gaza, but is the most prominent among them.
In southeastern Khan Younis, around 40 militants operate with the Hossam al-Astal gang.
Additionally, the Al-Majayda Clan was an active militia in Khan Younis until Monday, when it agreed to hand over its unlicensed weapons to Hamas and affirmed its support for the resistance movement in combating “security chaos”, following mediation efforts.
In Gaza City and the northern areas of the strip, the Doghmosh clan has been active. Two other militant groups still operate in the north as well, including a group under the leadership of Rami Helles, particularly active in Gaza City’s Shujaiya, Zeitoun, and Tuffah districts, and another led by Ashraf al-Mansi, operating in Jabalia, Sheikh Radwan, Nasr, and Beit Lahia.
In central Gaza, Hamas seems to have imposed its control after it crushed the Abu Khammash and Abu Moghaiseb factions, who emerged around Deir al-Balah before the January ceasefire, and reappeared once the genocidal Israeli aggression resumed in March.
Palestinian activist and journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi was among those killed by the local gangs following the ceasefire
Although a US-brockered ceasefire deal was finally announced by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, October 8, Israel seems to have continued its assassinations in the Gaza Strip indirectly through its operatives.
Read More: The genocide will not end until the Palestinian political leaders are free
These operatives still attack civilians and loot their properties. Moreover, they clash with members of resistance factions including Hamas, spread chaos, and provoke infighting.
On Sunday, October 12, famous Palestinian activist and journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi (28) was shot dead by members of an “armed militia”, while he was covering clashes in Gaza city.
Al-Jafarawi was celebrated by the Palestinian grassroots for documenting Israel’s crimes throughout its two-year genocidal aggression on Gaza.
This in turn gave him prominence among his nation and Palestine supporters across the world, but at the same time made him a target for Israeli media incitement campaigns. Therefore, for many, Al-Jafarawi’s murder was a targeted assassination, which Israel assigned its local operatives to carry out on its behalf.
The post Trump threatens to “kill” Hamas over the execution of Israeli-backed gang members in Gaza appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
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