Despite Trump's Gaza peace plan: Hamas is not disarming, continues violence against rival militias & political opponents

Following the withdrawal of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip to the Yellow Line, as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, the Hamas terror organization has sought to reassert its authority in areas vacated by the IDF, often through brutal violence.

Hamas has deployed armed police officers to important intersections, engaged in brutal retribution against political opponents through its special police service, clashed with rival militias and clans, and even engaged in several attempts to kill or kidnap IDF soldiers behind the Yellow Line.

The brutal crackdowns on the Palestinians in Gaza, which have claimed the lives of dozens, caught the attention of the world, after footage was leaked showing public executions of those accused of collaborating with Israel.

Other videos shared on social media depict Hamas security forces, with covered faces, beating those who have spoke out against the terror group’s brutality against its own people, or even those guilty only of having thanked President Trump for humanitarian aid and the new ceasefire.

Killings in public by Palestinian Hamas - and deafening silence from the “moral preachers”.
Do you hear the sound of the crickets? pic.twitter.com/CcnX94d39U

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 22, 2025

Often these videos are shared on Hamas-affiliated Telegram or other social media platforms.

Recently, the group also claimed to have “dealt a severe blow” to the Israel-backed Popular Forces militia of Yasser Abu Shabab, which operates out of the IDF-controlled area of Rafah.

The Hamas-affiliated Arrow Unit claimed earlier today that it confiscated vehicles from Yasser Shabab's anti-Hamas militia, the Popular Forces.
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These armed men are nothing more than Hamas members in civilian clothing. pic.twitter.com/sipBuYqs2r

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 22, 2025

Hamas-affiliated Telegram channels claimed that the “Rada’a Force” of Hamas carried out a “precise security operation” against Abu Shabab’s forces on Tuesday, which claimed the operation “resulted in the arrest of several militia members and the confiscation of military equipment and tools used in their subversive activities, following careful monitoring of their movements over the past few days.”

These actions raise serious questions about the terror group’s strength and its willingness to abide by the terms of the peace plan, which call for the group to be disarmed and not participate in the political oversight of the Gaza Strip during and after the reconstruction efforts called for in the Trump peace plan.

Israeli officials estimate that Hamas still maintains a sizable fighting force of around 10,000-20,000 fighters, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

Shalom Ben Hanan, a fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Israel’s Reichman University, told NBC News that “Hamas was damaged very severely in its military capabilities, but I think it will be fair to say that it wasn’t crushed.”

He estimated that the group numbers between 15,000-25,000 fighters, which is slightly higher than the previously mentioned assessment by the IDF. The Israeli military estimates that Hamas lost around 20,000 fighters during the war, but that it has also managed to recruit thousands of mostly young, untrained fighters over the past year.

The difference between that number and the IDF’s estimate of 25,000 fighters having been killed during the war mostly relates to fighters from several of the smaller factions which have collaborated with Hamas in fighting Israel.

This assessment was confirmed by Giora Eiland, the former director of Israel’s National Security Council.

“It is easy for Hamas to regain power and it is very easy for them to recruit more and more people to replace those who were killed,” Eiland told NBC News.

Besides the issue of Hamas’ military strength, the actions of Hamas against Gaza residents also raise questions about the terror group’s governance. Before the October 7 War, Hamas was the governing authority of the entire Gaza Strip, controlling political, municipal, and police bodies, besides its Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades military wing.

After the Trump ceasefire, Hamas has been acting more like a guerrilla militia force, attacking what it sees as threats to its existence, but avoiding resuming the full governance of the Strip it previously exercised.

Even recent punitive actions against those opposed to or critical to its governance in the Strip have often been conducted by operatives wearing no insignias or other indications of their affiliation with Hamas, as was detailed in a recent Times of Israel report.

Some analysts believe that could be a strategic decision, in an attempt to create some chaos in the enclave which would force the U.S. and its partners to allow Hamas to resume governance.

Huh, a warning to Hamas. Not Israel. pic.twitter.com/lOojkFgsnk

— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) October 21, 2025

However, following repeated warnings by both President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance over the past couple of days, the Hamas organization reportedly told Turkish mediators that it is committed to the ceasefire deal.

On Tuesday evening, Vice-President Vance reiterated that according to the agreement, “Hamas has to disarm.”

President Trump posted a note to Truth Social on Tuesday, which was shared by the official White House account, saying that if “Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us,” the end for the group will be “FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!”

"...There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help... TO EVERYONE, thank you for your attention to this matter!" - PRESIDENT TRUMP pic.twitter.com/OVpKduWqBe

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 21, 2025

President Trump also said that he had asked Israel and other countries to be patient in responding to Hamas’ violations, saying, “NOT YET!”