Hamas calls on Gazans to eliminate Israeli-backed operatives amid push for Gaza disarmament

The Hamas terrorist organization is calling on Gaza civilians to eliminate prominent Israeli-backed operatives, local unnamed sources told The Jerusalem Post.

“Despite the militias not having public popularity, Hamas still sees them as a threat to its rule,” one Gazan source told the JPost. “Hamas is trying to prevent them from becoming stronger.”

The Rada Force, Hamas’ special security organization that targets internal threats including collaboration with Israel, urged Gazans to act against what it termed “collaborator gangs” by eliminating their top operatives.

“We say to all members of the collaborator gangs that assassinating senior collaborators in these groups will be your salvation before us and before your people,” the group said in an official statement on Thursday. The Rada Force said it had arrested a Palestinian with close ties to senior militia operatives, crediting local residents with assisting in the operation.

Here's a light edit that improves flow, eliminates repetition, and keeps the tone journalistic:

The Rada Force has sought to sow divisions in Gaza by offering incentives to Gazans who remain critical of Hamas to turn against rival militia leaders.

"We consider the current circumstances a golden opportunity to end the phenomenon of the collaborator gangs, which have represented a black mark in the history of our people's struggle," the group stated.

"Despite the security situation, we continue to attach great importance to bringing back those who have been misled and rescuing them from the mire of betrayal," it added.

Hamas' call to target rival militias comes amid international efforts to advance the second phase of the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration in October 2025.

"Hamas wants to make them look bad in the eyes of the people," the Gazan source said. "They are using manipulation, telling members of these armed groups, 'Come to us, we'll embrace you and take care of you.'"

The ceasefire stipulates that Hamas must disarm and that the Gaza Strip be demilitarized as a precondition for postwar reconstruction and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal enclave. However, Hamas leaders have repeatedly refused to disarm, insisting they will retain their weapons for what they describe as "self-defense." Hamas' charter openly calls for Israel's destruction and the killing of Jews.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a disarmament agreement for Gaza.

"The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He has reportedly grown frustrated by the lack of progress in implementing the Gaza peace plan.

Meanwhile, Israel has made clear that it will not withdraw IDF troops until Hamas is disarmed and Gaza is demilitarized in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas has recently indicated it would be willing to surrender heavy weapons to facilitate implementation of the deal's second phase. However, the group has a history of violating previous commitments and continues to view rival Gazan militias as a threat to its future control of the enclave.

"We reaffirm that the idea of these militias was dead from the outset," a Rada-affiliated source said. "The occupation will not protect them, and the coming days will prove it. We renew our call to all gang members to return to the embrace of their people before it is too late."

Hamas officials have also sought to link disarmament to the withdrawal of Israeli forces. However, Israel has made clear that no IDF troops will leave Gaza until Hamas is disarmed. Reports in January indicated that Israel was cooperating with anti-Hamas militias during the U.S.-backed ceasefire, reportedly supplying them with weapons. In return, the militias targeted Hamas positions on the Hamas-controlled side of the Yellow Line that currently divides the Gaza Strip.