Palestinian Authority warns against Hamas crackdown in Gaza while Trump signals his approval

A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority (PA) sharply criticized the brutal crackdown of Hamas against its internal rivals in the Gaza Strip, which appears to have received the tacit approval from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking to the Saudi Al Arabiya channel, the PA Security Forces’ spokesman, Maj.-Gen. Anwar Rajab said that violence and “savagery” are integral parts of Hamas’ identity and behavior in the management of affairs in the Gaza Strip.

Amid numerous reports of bloody clashes between Hamas and clans in northern Gaza, particularly the Doghmush clan, Rajab said Hamas had bombarded the clan’s houses with rockets and RPGs in an effort to “break the backbone of clans” in the enclave.

🚨The spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, Anwar Rajab, to Al-Arabiya:

- What Hamas’s militias are doing in Gaza is vile terrorism, a brutal atrocity that cannot be ignored or tolerated.

- Violence and savagery are an integral part of Hamas’s ideological… pic.twitter.com/ExGcpF2XC9

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) October 15, 2025

The PA Presidency on Tuesday condemned Hamas’ “horrible crimes”, calling them “unacceptable under any justification,” and a “flagrant violation of human rights and a serious assault on the principle of the rule of law.”

“Such practices harm the unity of the Palestinian people and its social fabric, and conflict with national and moral values, and with efforts aimed at unifying the institutions of the Palestinian state under one authority, one law, and one weapon.”

Hamas sources told Reuters that the terror group have killed at least 33 people since the start of the ceasefire with Israel on Friday, including several executions that were captured on video and circulated widely on social media.

While many in Israel are concerned that this crackdown underlines Hamas’ intent to reassert its control over the Strip and signals that the group will not disarm, contrary to the agreement it signed, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to suggest he had given Hamas a green light to police the enclave.

“They do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” he said Sunday, responding to a reporter's question.

Reporter to Trump: "Hamas is rearming itself as a police force, shooting rivals. What's the message to Hamas?

Trump: "Because they want to stop the problems … And we gave them an approval for a period of time..."pic.twitter.com/sKmF2hTmj5

— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) October 13, 2025

“You have close to 2 million people going back to buildings that have been demolished, and a lot of bad things can happen. So we want it to be, we want it to be safe. I think it’s going to be fine. Who knows for sure,” he added.

On Tuesday, he compared Hamas’ bloody crackdown to his own fight against Venezuelan drug cartels. “They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad… and they killed a number of gang members. That didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you. That’s okay. It’s a couple of very bad gangs. It’s no different than other countries like Venezuela [that have] sent their gangs [into the U.S.],” Trump said.

Nevertheless, he asserted that the terror group would comply with the agreement and disarm. “If they don't disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump said.

Hamas claims the crackdown is an attempt to maintain public safety and protect property.

Ismail Tawabta, head of the terror group’s government media office, said on Tuesday that over 70 “gang members” had surrendered and handed their weapons to Hamas under a general amnesty. “More than 50 gang hubs have been dismantled,” he said, adding, “We won’t allow any side to interfere with the security of the Palestinian people.”

He also said that Hamas was combating suspected collaborators with “enemy forces,” meaning Israel.

Ynet News cited Palestinian sources claiming that Hamas had established control over more than 90% of the areas vacated by the IDF and has restored its police and civil defense institutions.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Phase 2 requires Hamas to lay down its weapons and hand over civilian governance of Gaza to a 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, under the supervision of an international “Board of Peace.”