Hamas uses public executions in bid for control as IDF kills five 'suspects'

THE fragile Middle East ceasefire hung in the balance last night as Hamas delayed returning all the bodies of dead Israeli hostages and also began publicly executing enemies in Gaza.

- By Giles Sheldrick Chief Reporter

A video circulating on social media appeared to show masked gunmen, some wearing green headbands resembling ones worn by Hamas, machine gunning at least seven men after forcing them to kneel.

Civilian spectators in the street cheered “Allahu Akbar,’ or God is Great, and called those killed “collaborators”.

Yesterday Israel’s military also admitted killing five “suspects” in Gaza who it claimed had crossed the line of withdrawal. Hamas said those deaths were a breach of the ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump last night said of Hamas: “We have told them to disarm. If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently.”

The Islamist terror group has killed at least 33 people in a crackdown so far as it seeks to reassert dominance in Gaza as Israel pulls out its troops.

Murdered

Israel accused the militant group of violating the ceasefire agreement by failing to release all the dead hostages and demanded progress by the end of yesterday. It refused to open the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to let in aid, as was required by the deal.