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At least 27 people have been claimed in intense confrontations between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, marking among the deadliest internal clashes since the cessation of major Israeli operations in the region.

Masked Hamas militants exchanged fire with tribal combatants near the city's healthcare center, according to observers.

Ministry Report

A senior official in the Hamas-run interior ministry stated that security units encircled them and engaged in heavy fighting to apprehend them. The authority reported that eight of its members were killed in "a militant attack by a armed group".

Healthcare officials confirmed that 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been killed since violence erupted on the weekend.

Local Reports

Local residents reported that the clashes erupted in the Tel al-Hawa area in the southern part of Gaza City after a Hamas contingent of more than 300 fighters advanced to attack a apartment building where Dughmush fighters were dug in.

Residents described frightening moments as many residents escaped their dwellings under heavy gunfire, with numerous individuals having been relocated repeatedly during the hostilities.

"In this instance residents weren't escaping Israeli attacks," a local inhabitant stated. "They were running from their fellow Palestinians."

Existing Tensions

The Dughmush tribe, among Gaza's notable families, has historically maintained a strained relationship with the governing authority, and its fighter elements have confronted the movement on several occasions in the previous years.

The Hamas-controlled interior ministry said its units were attempting to reestablish control, alerting that "every paramilitary operation not within the system of the Palestinian resistance" would be dealt with firmly.

Conflicting Versions

Both sides leveled charges over who initiated the violence for triggering the clashes.

Hamas previously stated that Dughmush militants killed two of its fighters and hurt five additional members, prompting the organization to launch an operation against them.

In contrast, a Dughmush family representative stated to regional press that Hamas units had approached a building that previously functioned as the Jordanian medical center, where the tribe had found sanctuary after their homes in the al-Sabra district were demolished in the previous Israeli assault.

The source alleged that the movement tried to expel the tribe from the building to create a different command center for its forces there.

Wider Situation

Hamas has reactivated about 7,000 members of its security forces to reinforce authority over areas of Gaza previously evacuated by Israeli forces, according to local sources.

Reports suggest that Hamas combat groups have already deployed across multiple areas, with some wearing civilian clothes and others in the blue uniforms of the Gaza police. The Hamas press division rejected that it was stationing combatants in urban zones.