Disturbing footage showing Hamas militants executing Palestinians accused of collaboration has emerged just hours after a fragile Gaza ceasefire took effect, threatening to derail the Trump-brokered peace agreement and raising fresh doubts about the terror group’s willingness to disarm.
The verified video, filmed in Gaza City’s al-Sabra neighbourhood, shows masked fighters forcing seven blindfolded men to their knees before opening fire as crowds of onlookers watch and cheer. Some of the gunmen wore green Hamas headbands, and spectators could be heard shouting “Allahu Akbar” whilst denouncing the victims as collaborators.
Hamas sources confirmed the video’s authenticity to international media. The executions represent a stark display of force as the militant organisation moves to reassert control over Gaza following the ceasefire that began on Friday.
The brutal killings emerged just as United States President Donald Trump was travelling to the Middle East to celebrate what he called the “historic dawn of a new Middle East. The timing could not be more troubling for the fragile peace accord, which explicitly requires Hamas to disarm and relinquish all governing authority in Gaza.
President Trump responded forcefully on Tuesday, warning that Hamas must disarm or the United States would disarm them, adding it would happen “quickly and perhaps violently”.
“They’re going to disarm, because they said they would disarm,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House. “And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”
When pressed on a timeline for disarmament, Trump said it would be “a reasonable period of time. Pretty quickly,” but did not provide specifics. He added that US officials have spoken to Hamas and the group said it would give up its weapons. “They know I’m not playing games,” the President warned.
The executions follow Hamas’s controversial return to Gaza’s streets as a security force. Mr Trump acknowledged on Monday that he had given Hamas temporary approval to maintain order in Gaza, stating they wanted “to stop the problems” and adding “we gave them approval for a period of time”.
However, Palestinian security sources report a mounting death toll from violent clashes. One Gaza security official said that since the ceasefire began, Hamas forces have killed 32 members of a gang affiliated with a family in Gaza City, whilst six Hamas personnel had also been killed.
The Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights, a Palestinian NGO, described the incident as an extrajudicial execution of citizens and called for an investigation into the incident and for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the killings, stating Hamas “rules through fear, executing civilians, torturing dissenters, shooting those who dare protest”.
The peace agreement, signed at a summit in Egypt attended by more than 20 world leaders, calls for the complete demilitarisation of Gaza and excludes Hamas from any future governance role. Instead, Palestinian technocrats are meant to manage daily administration.
Yet the accord already faces immediate challenges beyond Hamas’s reassertion of authority. By Tuesday evening, only eight of 28 deceased Israeli hostages had been returned to Israel, adding anguish to families who watched celebrations of living captives’ release.
The bodies returned on Monday were identified as Guy Illouz, 26, Bipin Joshi, 23, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and IDF Captain Daniel Perez, 22. According to the Israeli military, Sharabi was likely inadvertently killed as a result of an IDF strike in January 2024 when a building he was in collapsed after an adjacent building was hit.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said the deal was not possible without President Trump, has urged Hamas to return the remains of all deceased Israeli hostages to their families.
“The release of the bodies of the deceased hostages is a profoundly difficult moment for the families who have endured terrible and protracted pain over the last two years at the hands of Hamas,” Sir Keir said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
“The loss of Yossi Sharabi will be felt deeply by his family, after Hamas so cruelly drew out their horror and denied them the right to grieve. I know from meeting his family just how loved Yossi was, and how devastating this ordeal has been. My thoughts are with them, and all of the hostage families.”
The Prime Minister added that Hamas must now return the remaining deceased hostages and honour the terms of the ceasefire, warning that the UK will continue working with partners to ensure the next phase of the peace plan is implemented in full.
The 20-point peace plan published last week states that Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. However, Hamas has historically rejected demands to surrender its arsenal, insisting it would only do so to a future Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently maintained the war cannot end until Hamas gives up its weapons and ceases to control Gaza. When Hamas fighters appeared in the streets during the last ceasefire in January to March, Israel abandoned the truce and called off negotiations on an end to the war.
The ceasefire has already shown signs of strain. At least six Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in northern and central Gaza on Tuesday, according to hospital and rescue services. The Israeli military said it opened fire on people it considered a threat who were approaching the line of control in Gaza. Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce.
In a further complication, the United Nations‘ humanitarian office in Gaza said it was notified by an Israeli military agency that Israel would reduce the amount of aid allowed into Gaza because Hamas had not handed over the bodies of all 24 deceased hostages believed still held in Gaza.
The Trump peace plan envisions an international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, taking responsibility for security inside Gaza. However, no such force has yet been assembled, and questions remain about who will govern the devastated territory.
The war has killed at least 67,869 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It followed the Hamas-led attack in Israel two years ago that killed 1,144 people, according to the Israeli government.
As the fragile ceasefire enters its fourth day, the path forward remains deeply uncertain. With Hamas showing no signs of willingly relinquishing power, President Trump’s promise to “disarm them” looms as a potential flashpoint that could plunge the region back into open conflict.
The coming days will prove critical in determining whether this peace agreement can survive the fundamental contradictions at its heart, or whether it will collapse like so many attempts before it.
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