The powerful Doghmush clan of Gaza has joined fighting there between Hamas and an Al-Qaeda inspired terrorist gang calling itself Jund Ansar Allah. Members of the clan have joined in on both sides of the battle, while many remain loyal to another Gaza terrorist offshoot, Army of Islam.
One member of the Doghmush clan killed another on Friday as Hamas battled Jund Ansar Allah in the southern Gaza town of Rafiah. The victim, Rashid Doghmush, was loyal to Hamas. He did not take part in the Rafiah battles, but was shot by a fellow clan member in a separate incident as he drove through the town.
On Sunday afternoon, Hamas forces surrounded a Doghmush family complex in Gaza City and demanded that the man who killed Rashid Doghmush turn himself in. The scenario was reminiscent of a Hamas raid in 2008, in which 12 people were killed in a clash between Hamas forces and Doghmush members. However, the incident ended without casualties.
Hamas has closed off the town of Rafiah in order to conduct an arrest campaign in the area. Several dozen suspected Jund Ansar Allah members have been detained.
Jund Ansar Allah has announced its intention to take revenge for last week's clashes.
Hamas Blames Israel
Hamas head in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh has announced that Israel is to blame for clashes between rival terrorist groups in Gaza.
By allowing only humanitarian goods to enter Gaza while Hamas retains power over the area, Israel is creating “dire conditions,” Haniyeh said. The poor standard of living leaves Gaza's youth susceptible to believing “strange ideas” about fighting those who do not live up to a strict Islamic code, he said.
Mashaal Defends Hamas's Record
In the meantime, Hamas leaders were forced to defend their own record of forcing Islamic law onto residents of Gaza. In an interview with Qatari media, Hamas's foreign leader, Khaled Mashaal, was questioned regarding charges that Hamas has begun enforcing modesty rules on Gaza residents, particularly women.
As a part of the new policy, Gaza's chief judge recently declared that female lawyers must wear a traditional Muslim headscarf while in court.
Mashaal denied that Hamas would impose “a strict interpretation of Islamic law” onto Gaza residents. He admitted that female lawyers are now required to cover their hair, but said that decision was made by the Hamas-run judiciary, not the actual Hamas government.
Fatah Slams Hamas
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah terrorist faction that is Hamas's chief rival, slammed Hamas on Monday for what he termed its “atrocious and inhumane” actions in Gaza.
Another senior Fatah and PA official, Saeb Erekat, described the situation in Gaza as one of “chaos and lawlessness.”
Fatah and Hamas formerly shared control of the PA, but the two groups split, before Hamas staged a violent takeover of Gaza in mid-2007. Since then, several attempts at reconciliation between the terrorist rivals have failed.