Gazans Fear Hamas Won’t Honor Peace Deal As Group Reportedly Massacres Civilians

Some Palestinians fear Hamas will not honor President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan as footage emerged of the terrorists executing civilians in Gaza’s streets, The New York Post reported Tuesday.

Hamas began rounding up alleged Israeli collaborators and killing them as soon as the country’s military withdrew from Gaza after a ceasefire was announced Oct. 8, an anonymous Gazan activist told NYP. The broader 20-point peace agreement requires Hamas to permanently disarm, but video evidence of its brutality toward Palestinians shows it continues to terrorize Gaza.

“From the first moment the Israeli planes disappeared from the sky, Hamas began punishing the families,” the activist told NYP.

“Hamas executed civilians in front of people’s eyes,” the person reportedly said. “No names, no confessions — nothing. Just death.”

The Islamist group has no plans to wind down and could restart the cycle of war with Israel if left unchecked, Palestinian dissident Amin Abed told the outlet.

Hamas has executed around 33 people since the ceasefire went into effect, The Times of Israel reported, citing sources in Gaza. The organization, which has controlled Gaza by force since 2007, has not yet publicly promised to disarm.

“The world needs to understand that Gazans are not Hamas,” Abed reportedly said. “We want peace, not war. But every time we speak out, Hamas kills us first.”

Hamas-affiliated social media accounts posted graphic footage after the ceasefire that showed eight blindfolded individuals being publicly gunned down, CNN reported. The group claimed in a statement that the targets were “wanted individuals and outlaws.”

As part of the peace plan, Hamas released all 20 of its living hostages on Monday since abducting hundreds during its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre that ignited war with Israel. However, Israel accused the group on Wednesday of withholding one of its deceased hostages in violation of the agreement, saying one of the bodies it returned “does not match any of the hostages.”

Israel has released around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for its hostages, The Associated Press reported.

Trump’s multi-phase peace plan demands that “a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” govern Gaza instead of Hamas or similar militants. Trump warned during a Tuesday press conference about consequences for Hamas if it refused to disarm.

“Well, they’re going to disarm, because they said they were going to disarm,” Trump told a reporter. “And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”

“They know I’m not playing games,” the president added.