Hamas has mobilized around 7,000 members of its internal security forces in a push to reassert control over parts of the Gaza Strip recently vacated by the IDF, the BBC reported Saturday, citing "local sources."
According to the report, the terrorist organization appointed five new governors to oversee different areas of the Gaza Strip, all with military backgrounds. Some are said to be former commanders in Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
The recruitment call reportedly went out via phone calls and text messages sent to Hamas memebers. The messages read: "We declare a general mobilization in response to the national and religious duty to cleanse Gaza of lawbreakers and collaborators with Israel. You must report to your designated locations within 24 hours using your official codes."
Reports from Gaza indicate that armed Hamas units have already deployed across multiple districts. Some were seen in civilian clothes, while others were dressed in the uniform of Gaza's so-called "blue police."
A senior Hamas official based abroad declined to directly comment on the reports of the security forces' deployment. However, he told the BBC: "We cannot leave Gaza to the mercy of thieves and militias backed by the Israeli occupation. Our weapons are legitimate. They exist to resist the occupation and will remain as long as the occupation exists."
A retired Palestinian security officer who served for many years in the Palestinian Authority's forces in Gaza told the BBC he feared the strip was sliding toward another round of internal bloodshed. "Hamas has not changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive," he said.
