At least 52 Doghmush clan members and 12 Hamas militants died in Gaza fighting as President Benjamin Netanyahu announced hostage releases…, Details ⤵️

A sudden and bloody bout of intra-Gazan fighting left dozens dead on Sunday as clashes erupted between Hamas security forces and fighters from the Doghmush (al-Doghmush) clan in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, according to multiple reports. Israeli media outlets and local Palestinian sources gave widely repeated casualty figures: at least 52 members of the Doghmush clan and 12 Hamas militants were killed in the exchanges, though those totals have not yet been independently verified.

What happened

According to Ynet and summaries in international outlets, fighting broke out after Hamas moved against a local militia tied to the Doghmush family. The Interior Ministry in Gaza accused a militia of attacking its forces; members of the Doghmush clan said Hamas used the ceasefire window to target them over alleged collaboration with Israel. Witnesses described homes burning and civilians — including children — caught in the chaos.

The exchanges reportedly occurred in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City and spread quickly, producing heavy gunfire, summary arrests and street battles. Local medical and rescue sources have been reporting a high toll amid limited independent access.

Notable deaths and local fallout

Palestinian citizen-journalist and social-media figure Saleh al-Jafarawi was reported killed while covering the clashes in Sabra; several outlets say he was found shot and wearing a press vest. His death has been widely reported in regional media and is raising fresh concerns about the safety of journalists operating on the front lines.

Families in the area told reporters they felt trapped and accused fighters on both sides of committing abuses as the violence unfolded. Humanitarian operators have warned that renewed fighting undermines fragile civilian conditions even as limited aid is being negotiated into the territory.

How this intersects with the hostage deal and ceasefire developments

The outbreak of clan-vs-Hamas violence comes as a US-brokered ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange were due to be implemented. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready to immediately receive hostages being returned from Gaza — a separate but parallel development that has dominated diplomatic and security activity in the region. International reporting says an initial tranche of living hostages and the remains of others were expected to be handed over as part of the deal.

Caveats and verification

Casualty figures for suddenly unfolding urban fighting in Gaza are frequently contested and may change as access improves. The widely reported numbers (52 Doghmush clan members, 12 Hamas fighters) were attributed to Ynet and have been repeated in several outlets; Gaza health and civil-defence tallies, Hamas statements and Israeli reporting may give different totals or classifications of the dead. Independent verification from neutral observers remains limited at this stage.

What to watch next

Confirmation or revision of casualty totals from hospital and civil-defence records.

Official statements from Hamas’ Gaza authorities and from the Doghmush clan.

Progress of the hostage handovers and whether intra-Gaza violence affects the transfer or humanitarian access that is part of the ceasefire arrangements.