At least thirty members of the Dughmush family were killed after rejecting orders from Israel’s Shin Bet security service
SEP 28, 2025
(Photo credit: Reuters)
Israel has targeted and killed members of prominent families in the Gaza Strip for refusing to cooperate with Tel Aviv’s plan to create clan-based governing bodies aimed at replacing Hamas, according to a report by Asharq al-Awsat.
According to sources, Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, contacted the representatives of the Bakr and Dughmush families, who remain inside their homes in Gaza City. The Shin Bet plan includes dividing Gaza into different regions controlled by clans and local armed groups.
They would be tasked with confronting Hamas and providing intelligence to the Israeli army, the report says.
“After these families refused to cooperate with Shin Bet officers, Israeli forces launched a series of raids on inhabited and vacant homes belonging to members of these families and clans,” the sources told Asharq al-Awsat.
Over the weekend, Israel struck the Bakr family home south of the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City. Six family members were killed and 11 were wounded.
A multistory building owned by the family was also bombed, resulting in the injury of several children.
In Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, Israel bombed a home and killed at least 30 members of the Dughmush family.
“Israeli intelligence contacted the family’s mukhtar and elders and asked them to form an armed group to govern the Shati refugee camp area after it purges it of Hamas members. The family categorically refused to be part of this option,” a source in the Bakr family said.
The Bakr family is one of the largest and most prominent families in the Gaza Strip. It plays a major role in the strip’s fishing industry.
“The family’s decision stemmed from a national stance rejecting any form of cooperation with the occupation, and is not intended to support Hamas or any other organizational group,” the family member added.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also confirmed that Israel is trying to coerce families to cooperate with them under the risk of starvation, forced displacement, or bombardment.
“What began as individual extortion has escalated into a systematic, collective practice aimed at dismantling Palestinian social fabric by forcing people to betray their communities and subordinating survivors to survival conditions that destroy communal identity and resilience,” it said.
Several Israeli-backed armed groups are operating in the Gaza Strip under Tel Aviv’s protection. These groups, which are tasked with confronting Hamas, are responsible for much of the aid looting that goes on in Gaza.
One of these groups is the Rafah-based gang headed by Yasser Abu Shabab – a Fatah-linked militia leader with alleged ties to ISIS.
The gang is responsible for scouting and securing territory ahead of Israeli military operations. Additionally, Abu Shabab has been accused of drug trafficking.
In recent months, more of these militias have popped up.
According to Hebrew media reports, an ex-Palestinian Authority (PA) officer named Hossam al-Astal is now leading an armed group in Khan Yunis and coordinating with Israeli occupation forces. The group is reportedly actively recruiting members and advocating for peace with Israel.
In late 2024, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza established a police force in the strip called the Arrow (‘Sahem’) Unit, aimed at combating aid looters and militias linked to Israel.
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