Reports from Gaza say that at dawn on Thursday, 3 October, fighters from Hamas’s security wing surrounded a hideout of collaborators from the Majaydeh family in their neighborhood in Khan Yunis, accusing them of previously abducting, killing, and mutilating two resistance fighters. According to these reports, several family members were killed — including those said to be responsible for killing a Hamas fighter days earlier — before Israeli drones intervened, assisting the family and bombing resistance vehicles, which led to the deaths of a number of Hamas members.
Meanwhile, Hossam al-Astal, a former Palestinian Authority officer now leading a pro-Israel militia in Khan Yunis, told The Times of Israel that his men — backed by Israeli air support — thwarted a Hamas assault in Al-Mawasi. He claimed Hamas had fired RPGs at members of the Majaydeh family, whom the group accused of spying for Israel, and said that 11 Hamas operatives were killed with Israel’s help. Photos of the dead, some in Qassam Brigades military gear, were later posted on his Facebook page.
Astal, who openly coordinates with Israel and previously faced a death sentence in Gaza for collaboration, now leads a militia presented as an alternative to Hamas rule. According to Israeli media, this marks the first reported instance of a Hamas operation in Gaza being directly countered by a Palestinian group aligned with Israel.
The Cradle, https://t.me/thecradlemedia/43540