Security tensions are rising in the Gaza Strip as Hamas-run security agencies resume measures against Palestinians that include summonses and arrests targeting people described as “activists” or critics of the group’s policies.
Anger has grown further after two Gaza residents were killed in separate incidents in the central part of the enclave.
Shortly before sunset prayers on Sunday, Hamas personnel stationed at a security checkpoint opened fire on a vehicle belonging to Asaad Abu Mahadi, 49, at the Abu Srar junction in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. He was critically wounded and later died.
Abu Mahadi’s family said the vehicle trader was killed by masked men acting outside the law and without legal justification. In a statement, the family described the shooting as “a criminal act, a blatant violation of social and legal norms and values, a direct threat to civil peace, and an assault on the stability that had begun to prevail in recent months.”
The family, part of a large and well-known Bedouin clan in Gaza, called for a neutral and independent investigation and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice. It also urged the authorities to strictly limit the use of live ammunition and impose tighter controls to prevent similar incidents.
The family said it reserved its “tribal and legal right” to hold the perpetrators accountable, either through the courts or on its own if the authorities fail to act.
A source in the Abu Mahadi family told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas had sent a delegation of community elders and clan leaders to try to defuse the situation, but the family rejected the effort and demanded the handover of the perpetrators, whom they say they now know.
The source said Abu Mahadi had no links to any faction and that the delegation acknowledged he had been killed by mistake after his vehicle had merely come under suspicion.
A Hamas security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abu Mahadi had been asked to stop at the checkpoint but did not comply, prompting officers to open fire. The source said there had been “no justification whatsoever” for the shooting and that immediate measures had been taken against recently recruited security personnel who were filling gaps after the security services lost thousands of members during the war.
The source said the checkpoints were meant to prevent infiltration by Israeli forces or armed gangs, particularly after several recent attempts to carry out criminal attacks in Gaza.
Days earlier, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Hamas security forces had foiled an attack by members of an armed gang in Gaza City and arrested one suspect. Another gang later carried out an attack near the Zeitoun neighborhood, abducting a Hamas government employee and seizing weapons from an arms dealer.
Another killing
Two days after Abu Mahadi’s death, security personnel shot dead another young man, Mohammed Abu Amra, on Tuesday evening in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Family and independent sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abu Amra had previously been responsible for securing humanitarian aid deliveries during a period of the war when aid trucks were frequently looted. The sources said his uncle, who supervised him, had also been killed a few months earlier by armed Hamas members.
Hamas has not offered an explanation for the incident. Security sources said the case was under investigation.
Kidnapping and assault allegations
The incidents come as accusations grow that Hamas security agencies are again tightening security measures, including summoning and arresting people described as social media activists or opponents of its policies.
Activists recently condemned the abduction of Ashraf Nasr, who frequently posts on social media criticizing conditions in Gaza and Hamas policies, including his refusal to align with any political or regional camp.
Nasr was reportedly abducted from a tent where he and his family had taken shelter near the Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City and beaten in front of them. Activists said he was questioned about his posts on Facebook and other platforms and was repeatedly beaten during interrogation, requiring medical treatment.
Independent sources have not confirmed the claims, while Hamas sources declined to comment. Some Gaza activists say summonses and arrests are also targeting people who criticize charitable organizations or youth initiatives accused of failing to distribute assistance properly.
Hamas security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat there was no such campaign and said the measures were aimed at maintaining security and stability amid attempts by some parties to spread misinformation about events or living conditions. Some individuals were summoned following complaints from citizens who said they had been harmed.
The sources denied that detainees were beaten during questioning and said those summoned were treated “with full respect.”
Many Gaza residents had expected security conditions to change after the two-year Israeli war, especially amid repeated US and Israeli calls for Hamas to leave power and end pursuit measures.
Expectations also rose after an agreement to form a technocratic committee to administer the enclave.
The committee has recently begun receiving applications to form its own security force, raising hopes of a shift in the situation. But its future remains uncertain as the Gaza file remains largely frozen by the US and some mediating countries, amid broader regional developments and the ongoing war with Iran.
For the first time, a figure associated with Hamas publicly commented on the developments.
Ibrahim al-Madhoun, a political analyst and prominent Hamas supporter, wrote on Facebook that he supports “freedom and the right of every person to say what they want,” and opposes harming anyone because of their views.
He said he rejects “any assault or harm, even by a word, by any government against any person,” and called on Palestinian security agencies in Gaza and the West Bank to respect citizens, safeguard their rights, especially freedom of expression, and allow broader space for free opinion.
