Hamas battles militias for control of Gaza following Israel’s withdrawal

Published

1 day ago

October 18, 2025

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One week into the ceasefire, a new kind of violence is plaguing the Gaza Strip.

Public executions, arson attacks and gun battles have raised the spectre of a slide into civil chaos as Hamas battles armed groups it accuses of collaborating with Israel.

Experts say Hamas is attempting to reassert its authority following Israel’s withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip.

But members of three anti-Hamas militias, operating from areas still controlled by Israel, have told Sky News they have no intention of laying down their arms and plan to fight Hamas to the end.

The fighting has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday: “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.”

Who are the Doghmosh clan?

On the night the ceasefire was agreed, Majed Doghmosh – not his real name – was sheltering in Gaza City’s abandoned Jordanian Hospital alongside his parents and six-year-old sister.

Like many residents of the surrounding Al Sabra neighbourhood, Majed belongs to the Doghmosh clan – an influential extended family which has long had a tense relationship with Hamas.

Many members of the clan had fled to the hospital two weeks earlier, after the Israeli forces entered Al Sabra.

When the ceasefire was announced, Majed says, “people began to rejoice that the war was over and life would return to normal.”

But as people were returning to their homes, a contingent from Gaza’s Hamas-led security forces arrived at the hospital. They said they were searching for collaborators.

‘They came with hundreds of people’

“We, as a family in general, have completely refused any cooperation with the occupation,” says Nizar Doghmosh, the family’s leader in Gaza.

“But the occupation managed to infiltrate one… weak, shallow-minded, foolish person.”

While in the Jordanian Hospital, Nizar says, this person recruited seven or eight others into an anti-Hamas militia.

Instead of handing themselves in, these men opened fire on the security forces, killing Mohammed Aqel – the son of senior Hamas commander Imad Aqel.

“Suddenly, we started hearing that Hamas wants to kill everyone who calls himself a Doghmosh,” Majed says.

“They came with hundreds of people, killing women, children and young people and burning down our homes.”

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Majed fled, but left behind his parents and sister – who he says are still trapped and hiding in Al Sabra neighbourhood.

Palestinian journalist and social media influencer Saleh Al Ja’afari was killed on Sunday while reportedly covering the fighting in Al Sabra. It remains unclear who shot him.

Footage posted on Sunday shows a gun battle at a junction near the neighbourhood.

On Monday evening, footage emerged of a mass public execution at the same intersection.

“All they wanted were 6 or 7 people, and these people were killed,” says Basel Doghmosh – not his real name – who also managed to escape the fighting. “Now they are killing everyone.”

Speaking to Sky News in Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem described these incidents as “efforts to maintain order in Gaza, not acts of revenge”.

“Hamas has not targeted any family,” he said.

“The occupation has formed armed militias loyal to it, and these militias are accused of high treason – the most severe charge in Palestinian revolutionary law.

“All clans, social and family bodies have expressed support for this effort by the security forces of the government in Gaza.

“These chaotic incidents must be decisively contained. This is a national position.”

At least four anti-Hamas militias

Hamas has made a show of force in recent days, with its fighters appearing on street patrols and at hostage handover ceremonies across the Gaza Strip.

Amjad Iraqi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, says that Hamas’s “vicious” response to the Doghmosh clan is partly intended to deter other armed groups from challenging its authority.

Sky News has confirmed that at least four anti-Hamas militias are currently active within the Gaza Strip, all of them based in areas still under Israeli control – where Hamas is unable to operate freely.

Who is Yasser Abu Shabab?

The most influential is a former looting gang led by Yasser Abu Shabab, which controls territory along Gaza’s main route for transporting aid. The group claims that 1,500 people are living in their territory, including 500-700 fighters.

Abu Shabab’s militia maintains loose ties to the other groups, whose control of territory is much less clear.

Fighting shows need for multinational security force

Dominic Waghorn

International affairs editor

@DominicWaghorn

It is quite clear from the evidence Sky has gathered that Israel has pursued a policy of divide and rule in Gaza and is continuing to do so. It has armed and financed militia who are rivals to Hamas and is now allowing them to operate in areas under its control.

The security situation in Gaza would be bad enough without that kind of meddling. From the start of the ceasefire Hamas has clearly set out to reassert control as would be expected.

Its spokesman has told Sky News it is only reestablishing law and order and averting chaos. But it has never tolerated any groups threatening its grip on power in Gaza and is unlikely to start doing so now. From the video footage emerging from Gaza and eyewitnesses we have spoken to it is working hard on dominating the strip as it did before.

As the UN agency UNRWA told Sky, the last thing Gazans need right now is fighting between Palestinians. It threatens their lives and hampers the vital effort to get aid into Gaza.

Hamas is likely to prevail in a struggle with smaller more disparate groups. That will then raise questions for both Israel and the Trump peace plan.

The Netanyahu government promised Israelis total victory over Hamas. Hamas is far from dismantled even if it is unlikely to renew hostilities anytime soon.

Donald Trump has repeated his demand Hamas disarm. That will not happen, not least because it would leave them at the mercy of their enemies.

The best hope for the peace plan and for Gaza is the insertion of the multinational security force envisaged in the Trump plan. But that would appear to be months away and by then Hamas may be confident enough not to cooperate.

Members from three of the militias told Sky News they have no intention of laying down their arms, and intend to fight Hamas to the end.

Ashraf Al Mansi’s militia

The leader of the fourth group, Ashraf Al Mansi, posted a statement to social media on Tuesday warning Hamas against approaching areas under their control.

Al Mansi’s militia has established itself north of Gaza City.

Its headquarters are at an abandoned school more than 500 metres inside the Israeli zone of control.

Although the militia claims to control significant territory in northern Gaza, Sky News has not seen any evidence of their presence more than 200 metres from the school.

Where do the Halas militia operate?

Further south, to the east of Gaza City, gunfire could be heard on Tuesday as Hamas battled another militia, led by Rami Halas.

On Sunday, 12 October, Gaza’s Hamas-run interior ministry offered amnesty to any militia members not involved in killings, so long as they turned themselves in by 19 October. “Consider this a final warning,” the statement said.

Speaking to Sky News from his base in the Israeli-controlled zone, a member of the Halas militia says that his group has no plans to surrender.

“Hamas destroyed the Gaza Strip – it has become nothing but a pile of ashes and stones,” says Basel.

“We are not afraid of death as long as it is for the sake of liberating the Gaza Strip from their ignorance, backwardness, and destruction.”

Fighting could imperil planned aid surge

The growing violence comes as Palestinians continue to wait for a surge in aid promised under the ceasefire agreement.

Gaza City is currently experiencing famine, with the rest of the territory suffering from severe food shortages after months of Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries.

Sam Rose, Gaza director of the UN refugee agency UNRWA, says that mounting an effective aid operation will require Israel to allow aid in at scale and to give aid groups the freedom to move across the Gaza Strip.

“But we also need to know that our trucks and staff are not at risk from fighting or looting by armed elements,” he adds.

Among those leading the looting of aid trucks in the past was Yasser Abu Shabab, whose group has transformed itself into the most influential of the four anti-Hamas militias identified by Sky News.

Last week, Sky News revealed that Israel is providing extensive support to the group, allowing them to smuggle cash, guns and cars into Gaza.

We also found that Abu Shabab’s militia has been receiving food aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid group.

Footage from the camp, verified by Sky News, shows large stocks of fresh produce.

In other videos, militia members can be seen showing off stacks of cash and smuggled valuables.

Israel accused of ‘divide and conquer’ strategy

The GHF told Sky News that “every Gazan deserves to be fed with dignity – including those in areas controlled by [Abu Shabab]”. The IDF declined to comment on Sky’s findings.

Crisis Group’s Amjad Iraqi says that, by supporting groups such as Abu Shabab’s, Israel has been engaging in a strategy of “divide and conquer”.

“What’s happening right now is really a direct consequence of an Israeli policy throughout much of the war, but especially since it broke the ceasefire in March, to essentially render Gaza ungovernable.”

“A power vacuum… is to Israel’s advantage because it weakens Hamas and it weakens Gazan society writ large,” he says.

Additional reporting by Celine Alkhaldi, Sophia Massam and Freya Gibson.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

World

‘Priceless’ jewellery stolen from Louvre museum in Paris – as authorities reveal details of daring raid

Published

3 hours ago

October 19, 2025

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'Priceless' jewellery stolen from Louvre museum in Paris - as authorities reveal details of daring raid

“Priceless” jewellery has been stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris – as authorities revealed details of the daring raid that has forced the closure of the world famous landmark.

The museum, which is the world’s most popular, drawing up to 30,000 visitors a day, said on X it was closing for “exceptional reasons” on Sunday.

In a separate post, culture minister Rachida Dati said there had been a robbery and she was on site alongside museum and police teams.

French interior minister Laurent Nunez said the “major robbery” involved intruders entering the museum via a basket lift using a platform mounted on a lorry.

“They broke a window and went towards several display cases where they stole jewellery,” he added.

“These are jewels that have genuine heritage value and are, in fact, priceless.”

Mr Nunez told France Inter radio the robbery lasted seven minutes, while the interior ministry said the criminals fled on two motorbikes. No injuries have been reported.

The robbers were well-prepared, Mr Nunez said, and “had done scouting”, cutting window panes “with a disc cutter” before escaping “on a TMAX” (a type of Yamaha maxi-scooter).

The robbery took place between 9.30 and 9.40am (8.30-8.40am UK time), the French government said in a statement, adding an investigation has begun, forensic work was under way and “a detailed list of the stolen items is being compiled”.

Hooded criminals carrying “small chainsaws” entered the building from the River Seine side, where construction work is taking place, French daily newspaper, Le Parisien, said, quoting preliminary findings from the police investigation.

Intruders went to the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery), home to a selection of the French Crown Jewels, the ministry said.

The robbers escaped with nine pieces of jewellery from Napoleon and the Empress’s collection.

A necklace, a brooch, a tiara, were among the items taken from the Napoleon and French Sovereigns display cases. A third robber stayed outside, Le Parisien said.

One of the stolen gems was later found broken outside the museum, according to the paper, which said it was believed to be Empress Eugenie’s crown.

Police sealed off the museum and evacuated visitors. New arrivals were turned away and nearby streets were closed, according to the interior ministry.

Social media users posted pictures and videos from in and outside the building, with one people leaving in what the user described as “total panic”.

On person on X said they were there and reported a confused-sounding scene of police “running near pyramid and trying to enter the Louvre from glass side doors but they were locked and they could not enter”.

“Everyone inside was running and banging on glass doors to get out, but could not open. Police and military police arrived,” they added.

It’s not the first time the museum, one of the world’s most famous and a French national landmark, has been targeted by thieves.

In 1911, the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat.

It was recovered two years later in Florence – an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait the world’s best-known artwork.

In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armour were stolen and only recovered nearly four decades later.

The museum’s collection also bears the legacy of Napoleonic-era looting, containing 33,000 works of art, including antiquities, sculptures and paintings.

In addition to the Mona Lisa, its star attractions feature the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

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World

Hamas hands over bodies of two more hostages, Israel confirms

Published

12 hours ago

October 19, 2025

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Hamas hands over bodies of two more hostages, Israel confirms

Israel has received the bodies of two more hostages from the Red Cross, the Israeli prime minister’s office has confirmed.

Shortly after 10pm UK time on Saturday, Israel’s military said Hamas handed over “two coffins of deceased hostages”.

There has been no identification of the bodies yet.

The news came as tensions were beginning to rise over the closure of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office had said earlier on Saturday evening that it would stay closed “until further notice” – as the deadline for Hamas to return the bodies of the hostages had passed with no confirmation.

Mr Netanyahu had warned that its reopening would depend on how Hamas fulfilled its role in returning the remains of all 28 dead hostages.

The handover brings the count of returned bodies to 12 hostages, up from 10, according to Israel’s tally. Another 16 deceased hostages would then still have to be returned.

All 28 were supposed to have been handed over by last Monday.

The handover of remains is among key points – along with aid deliveries into Gaza and the devastated territory’s future – in the ceasefire process meant to end two years of war.

Israel’s foreign ministry had originally said the Rafah crossing would likely reopen on Sunday – another step in the fragile ceasefire. This has now been revised to being closed “until further notice”.

A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel internationally or visit family in Egypt, which is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.

It is unclear who will operate the crossing’s heavily damaged Gaza side once the war ends.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s ruins were being scoured for the dead, over a week into a ceasefire. Newly recovered bodies brought the Palestinian toll above 68,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. But the ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

Famine declared

Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.

Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the attack on southern Israel that sparked the war on October 7 2023.

Gaza’s more than two million people are hoping the ceasefire will bring relief from the humanitarian disaster caused by Israel’s offensive. Throughout the war, Israel restricted aid entry to Gaza – sometimes halting it altogether.

Famine was declared in Gaza City, and the UN says it has verified more than 400 people who died of malnutrition-related causes, including more than 100 children.

Officials in Israel say they have let in enough food, accusing Hamas of stealing much of it. The UN and other aid agencies deny this claim.

World

Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes ‘Putin is afraid’ that Donald Trump could still supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles

Published

1 day ago

October 18, 2025

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes 'Putin is afraid' that Donald Trump could still supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not ruled out the possibility that he can secure long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US, adding that he believes “Putin is afraid” of the consequences.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press, Ukraine’s president discussed some of the details of his two-hour meeting with Donald Trump on Friday, including his desire for the weapons after three years of war with Russia.

“It’s good that President Trump didn’t say ‘no’, but for today, didn’t say ‘yes’,” he said about the supply of the missiles, as part of a discussion which will air on Sunday.

Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy proposes ‘drone for Tomahawk’

He admitted the US president was concerned about a potential escalation with Russia, but Mr Zelenskyy told NBC, Sky News’s US partner, that the weapons are a genuine concern for Vladimir Putin.

“I think that Putin [is] afraid that United States will deliver us Tomahawks. And I think that he [is] really afraid that we will use them,” he said.

The weapons have a significantly longer range than any other missiles in Ukraine’s armoury and have the potential to be a game-changer in the war against Russia.

While Mr Trump did not rule out providing the Tomahawk missiles, he appeared cool to the prospect as he looked ahead to a meeting with the Russian president in Hungary in the coming weeks.

‘US doesn’t want escalation’

Following the meeting with Mr Trump, who held a phone call with Mr Putin on Thursday, Mr Zelenskyy told reporters: “We spoke about long-range (missiles) of course. And I do not want to make statements about it.”

But he added: “We don’t speak about it because… United States doesn’t want this escalation”.

Later in a post on X, Mr Zelenskyy said he was counting on President Trump to “bring this war closer to an end”.

“We discussed all key issues – our positions on the battlefield, long-range capabilities and air defence, and, of course, diplomatic prospects,” he said.

“Russia must end the aggression it started and continues to deliberately prolong. We count on the United States’ pressure.”

In a roundtable with journalists following the meeting, Mr Trump confirmed that hitting targets deep inside Russian territory would be an “escalation”.

He also said he was hesitant to tap into the US’ supply of Tomahawks, saying: “I have an obligation also to make sure that we’re completely stocked up as a country, because you never know what’s going to happen in war and peace.

“We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks. We’d much rather have the war be over to be honest.”

Analysis: Is Trump being ‘played’ by Putin?

Before Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he hosted one of his favourite singers, Andrea Bocelli, in the Oval Office.

The Italian tenor serenaded him with the signature track Time To Say Goodbye, a song about hope and new beginnings.

But the next event on his agenda suggested antipathy between Trump and the Ukrainian president are firmly lodged in the past.

On the key issue of whether Vladimir Putin actually wants peace, the pair continue to fundamentally disagree.

Trump repeated several times his belief that Putin is committed to ending the war, which may come as a surprise to the people of eastern Ukraine, being pummeled by an expanded Russian offensive in the past few months.

Trump also spoke about “bad blood on both sides”, again inferring equal blame on Zelenskyy, whose sovereign nation was invaded, and Putin, who is doing the invading.

It’s in Putin’s gift to stop the fighting immediately, but that was glossed over.