Hamas told Arab mediators that it would stop public executions of “members of rival gangs” following concerns that the killings could derail the fragile ceasefire with Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 21. However, while the Islamist group’s reported commitment to restrain its forces may be a positive sign for the ceasefire deal, its “Arrow Unit,” a security force established by the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, has continued to carry out brutal beatings against Palestinians for a range of alleged crimes.
Hamas’s reported reversal came after US President Donald Trump threatened to “go in and kill” the group if it did not stop slaying Palestinians. Days before the president’s warning, footage emerged of Arrow Unit members publicly executing eight members of Gaza’s Doghmush clan for allegedly collaborating with Israel.
The Arrow Unit, which has published statements and videos on social media throughout the war and the ceasefire, disseminated videos of its members publicly beating Palestinians with pipes on October 21. Days before, the group published another video of its members dropping a cinder block on the legs of a Palestinian who was accused of allegedly trafficking drugs. Additional footage uploaded to the channel during the same period shows Palestinians confessing to alleged crimes, while other videos depict alleged suspects being publicly beaten with a metal pipe.
Hamas’s reported pledge to stop committing public executions also underscores that the Arrow Unit is not an independent entity, but an organization that the Islamist group directly controls. Some evidence has emerged that members of the Arrow Unit also belong to Hamas’s so-called military wing, the Izz al Din al Qassam Brigades, including its elite Nukhba force.
Hamas’s promise to cease executing individuals during the ceasefire is not a significant change for the group since the agreement with Israel. The October 13 killing of eight members of the Doghmush clan is the only verified execution in this period. There are online claims that Hamas and its affiliated groups have carried out additional executions, including the killing of a child and an elderly woman, but there is little evidence to support the assertions.
Currently, the Arrow Unit continues to operate on its side of the “Yellow Line,” which demarcates the boundary of Israeli control of Gaza, with little sign of ceasing its brutal public beatings of Palestinians accused of breaking the law.