Heavy fighting broke out Sunday in Gaza City’s Daraj Tuffah neighborhood between Hamas terrorists and members of an armed militia led by Gaza-based Fatah activist Rami Helles, according to local reports.
The militia, which cooperates with the so-called Popular Forces once headed by Yasser Abu Shabab, has recently intensified attacks against Hamas. Abu Shabab was shot dead in December following an internal dispute within his organization. During the clashes, two Hamas terrorists were reported killed and several others wounded.
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One of the Hamas terrorists killed in the fighting, Gaza-based Fatah activist Rami Helles
According to the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Helles’ forces advanced toward the al-Sanafor junction in the Tuffah neighborhood, west of the “yellow line,” identified as the initial withdrawal line under the Gaza ceasefire framework. When the fighters entered residential areas, they came under fire from Hamas terrorists and other armed factions, triggering exchanges of gunfire that lasted about 20 minutes. The militia later withdrew toward areas under Israeli control.
Local reports said IDF drones operated during the fighting, striking houses in and around the neighborhood. Booby-trapped vehicles carrying large quantities of explosives were also detonated in stages, destroying additional buildings in the area.
Separately, sources said a Palestinian man believed to be affiliated with Hamas was killed Saturday at the main junction in the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. While initial reports attributed the shooting to an Israeli sniper, sources told the newspaper the man was killed by members of the Helles militia. He was the second person killed by the group in the past week and a half.
The militia has also stepped up pressure on residents of eastern Gaza. Over the past two weeks, it has forced residents of the Daraj Tuffah neighborhood to flee their homes, the sources said.
The Helles clan has been openly hostile to Hamas since the terrorist group seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, following violent confrontations with its members. One of the largest families in Gaza, the clan is concentrated mainly in the Shejaiya area of eastern Gaza City, near the Israeli community of Nahal Oz.
The Helles militia is one of four armed groups reported to be cooperating with Israel and receiving military and logistical assistance, with the backing of the Palestinian Authority and support from various Western and Arab countries.