Israel and US to Establish Safe Area for Gazans Fearing Hamas

According to Israeli journalist Dov Eichler, speaking on his radio program Thursday, “hundreds” of Gazans have already been executed in this wave of retribution.

By Batya Jerenberg

The United States and Israel plan to create a secure area in the IDF-held portion of the Gaza Strip for Palestinians who fear retaliation from Hamas, a senior U.S. official announced Wednesday.

“The U.S. is working with Israel to try and create some space in the safe zone behind the Yellow Line for people who feel [under] threat to be able to go to so,” the senior Trump adviser said during a press briefing.

Israel is “very committed to creating safety for the people of Gaza who want to live in peace, and so this is a new line of effort that we requested,” he said, noting that Jerusalem welcomed the initiative “with a lot of enthusiasm.”

The official confirmed that the move was “in response to the reports we’ve been seeing of Hamas executing rivals.”

Following the IDF’s withdrawal on Friday to the Yellow Line — the initial ceasefire boundary — Hamas emerged from hiding and began a violent crackdown against “collaborators and traitors” to reassert control over the coastal enclave.

While the IDF still surrounds the cleared area, it has vacated approximately 47% of the Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli journalist Dov Eichler, speaking on his radio program Thursday, “hundreds” of Gazans have already been executed in this wave of retribution.

The primary targets appear to be clans that opposed Hamas and even engaged in armed conflict with its forces prior to the Trump peace deal.

Among them are members of the influential Doghmush family in Gaza City and the al-Majayda clan in Khan Yunis.

Hamas labels these groups as “criminal gangs” that cooperate with Israel and steal humanitarian aid.

In one disturbing video circulating online, masked men — some wearing green Hamas headbands — are seen executing eight bound, kneeling men at point-blank range in a Gaza City square as a crowd cheers.

Hamas has also reportedly targeted the families of its enemies.

On Thursday, Gazan media reported that Hamas terrorists murdered the wife and two underage children of a man they accused of forming armed groups linked to the Palestinian Authority (PA), the rival faction Hamas ousted from Gaza in a 2007 coup.

While some anti-Hamas militias are openly supported by the PA, others are independent.

One such group is the Popular Forces militia in eastern Rafah, led by Yasser Abu Shabab of the Bedouin al-Tarbin tribe.

Abu Shabab has admitted receiving logistical support from the IDF as he protects and provides for thousands of Gazans in his Hamas-free zone.

Hamas reportedly views Abu Shabab as a serious threat. He has so far avoided assassination only because the IDF maintains full control over Rafah and the entire border with Egypt.