Members of the internal security forces, belonging to the Gaza government run by Hamas, man a checkpoint in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Hamas had been given a green light for internal security operations it is conducting in the Gaza Strip, saying the group wants "to stop the problems" and "we gave them approval for a period of time."
The Palestinian group, which must disarm and end its rule of Gaza under Trump's proposal for ending the war, has deployed internal security forces in parts of the Gaza Strip since a cease-fire came into effect on Friday, saying it aims to stop lawlessness and looting and prevent a security vacuum.
Israel reduced much of Gaza to wasteland throughout its relentless two-year bombardment of the enclave and actively supported and armed Palestinian gangs in Gaza that opposed Hamas and reportedly stole humanitarian aid.
Asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One about reports that Hamas was instituting itself as a police force and shooting rivals, Trump said "they do want to stop the problems, and they've been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time."
"You have close to two million people going back to buildings that have been demolished, and a lot of bad things can happen. So we want it to be — we want it to be safe. I think it's going to be fine. Who knows for sure," Trump said.
Hamas security forces have been clashing with armed members of the Dughmush clan in Gaza City over the last two days. According to BBC's Gaza correspondent, at least 27 people were killed in the fighting, which took place near the city's Jordanian hospital.
A senior official in the Gaza Interior Ministry said security units surrounded the clan members and engaged in heavy fighting to detain them.
Medical sources told BBC 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been killed since fighting began on Saturday, while Reuters cited a Palestinian security source that said 32 members of "a gang" had been killed. The source also said 24 people had been arrested and 30 wounded.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement on Sunday offering amnesty to people it said had joined outlawed gangs responsible for stealing humanitarian aid and looting, on condition they were not involved in bloodshed.
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