Hamas security forces arrested five armed militants Monday in a raid in southern Khan Younis, escalating tensions with a rival militia that later responded by burning a Hamas flag and threatening violent retaliation.
The Raad Force of Hamas' internal security forces said it carried out a “precise security operation” targeting members of the Hosam al-Astal group, an armed faction operating independently of Hamas. The group has been accused by Hamas of undermining internal stability and cooperating with foreign enemies.
Gaza militia leader Hosam al-Astal burns Hamas flag and issues threats
According to a statement from Hamas, the raid followed extended intelligence surveillance of the group's activities, which were described as “suspicious and destabilizing.” During the operation, Hamas forces reportedly seized weapons, cash and other equipment allegedly intended to finance “sabotage operations against the Palestinian resistance and internal security.”
The detainees are currently under investigation. Hamas warned that “anyone who attempts to destabilize the situation or act in favor of Israel will have no place among us.” The statement added: “We will continue with decisive and uncompromising action against anyone who betrays the people and the homeland.”
Shortly after the arrests, a video circulated on social media showing a man identified as Hosam al-Astal, the militia leader, burning a Hamas flag and issuing a string of threats. “You liars in Hamas, I warn you,” he said on camera. “If you really captured five of my men and seized weapons, don’t touch them. You are liars. Hamas is finished, even in history.”
Al-Astal continued in the video: “I know where you are, where you go and when you return. I walk through your tents. I am here. I can take on a hundred of you, dogs. Hamas is over. We are the ‘day after’ — whether you like it or not.”
The incident underscores growing internal strife in Gaza, where reports have mounted of crumbling civil order and clashes among rival factions amid the chaos of a two-year war. Hamas' Raad Force has claimed similar operations in recent weeks. On October 28, it reported uncovering a 15-man cell engaged in looting under cover of the emergency. A week earlier, the force said it detained members of the Yasser Abu Shabab militia in an operation that allegedly ended without resistance — though none of these events have been independently verified.