At least 10 Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded in a violent assault on Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, as an Israeli-backed militia reportedly carried out a ground raid supported by Israeli airstrikes, according to eyewitness accounts and local reports.
The attack unfolded Monday in an area just meters from the so-called “yellow line,” a boundary established following the October ceasefire agreement that effectively split the Gaza Strip. Witnesses described a sudden incursion by armed fighters linked to the Abu Nasira militia, a group alleged to operate with Israeli coordination.
“We were shocked when they entered the neighborhood and began firing at people’s homes and at the children inside those homes,” said Ahmed Al-Maghari, a resident of the camp. He described scenes of chaos as residents attempted to defend themselves amid heavy gunfire.
According to multiple eyewitnesses, the assault escalated when Israeli aircraft began launching airstrikes over the area, preventing civilians from reaching the wounded. “There were injured people just meters away, and we couldn’t reach them,” Al-Maghari said. “Anyone who tried was immediately targeted.”
Another resident, Mahmoud Kassab, said the militia opened fire near the camp’s entrance, triggering clashes with local residents. “Then the drones came and provided cover with missiles,” he said. “Quadcopters were dropping explosives. Anyone who tried to move was targeted.”
The wounded and dead were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital by any available means—cars, ambulances, and even motorized rickshaws. Inside the morgue, grieving relatives gathered around bodies laid out on the floor, mourning loved ones lost in the attack.
The Abu Nasira militia, led by Shawqi Abu Nasira, a former Palestinian Authority security officer, claimed responsibility for the operation. In a video statement, the group described the assault as a successful mission targeting Hamas fighters, though witnesses and local officials say civilians were the primary victims.
The militia, which calls itself the “Free Homeland Forces,” has previously acknowledged close ties with Israel. In a December television interview, Abu Nasira described the relationship as “an intimate friendship,” stating that the group receives weapons and coordinates security operations with Israeli forces.
Additional reporting on the militia involved in the Al-Maghazi assault provides further insight into the group’s origins, structure, and role in Gaza’s increasingly fragmented security landscape.
The faction, which calls itself the “Free Homeland Forces,” is a relatively small but highly active armed group led by Shawqi Abu Nasira, a former Palestinian Authority lieutenant colonel and Fatah member. Believed to number only around 30 fighters, the group operates primarily in eastern Khan Yunis and Rafah, and has emerged as part of a broader network of anti-Hamas militias loosely aligned under what is known as the “Popular Forces.” Its existence only became publicly known in late 2025, though reports suggest it had already been operating covertly for months prior.
Analysts say the rise of such groups is closely tied to the collapse of social order inside Gaza during the ongoing war. Widespread famine, displacement, and the breakdown of governing institutions have weakened Hamas’s internal control, creating space for rival armed factions to emerge. Some of these groups position themselves as alternatives to Hamas rule, while others have been accused of acting as proxy forces within areas under Israeli military influence.
Abu Nasira himself is a controversial figure. Once imprisoned by Israel for militant activity in the 1980s, he later joined the Palestinian Authority security apparatus following the Oslo Accords. His break with Hamas is reportedly rooted in personal grievances, including the killing of his son during the war after criticizing the group. While Abu Nasira has publicly denied collaborating with Israel, his militia has been widely reported to coordinate with Israeli forces, and has openly engaged with Israeli media—at times even communicating in fluent Hebrew.
The group has also been linked to earlier acts of violence inside Gaza. In December 2025, fighters associated with the Popular Forces claimed responsibility for the assassination of a senior Hamas-linked internal security official in Al-Maghazi—an incident that local authorities attributed to Israeli-backed operatives. That killing, along with subsequent clashes and arrests involving Abu Nasira’s family by Hamas security units, underscored the deepening internal divisions and the growing risk of intra-Palestinian conflict alongside the wider war.
Taken together, these developments point to a shifting dynamic on the ground in Gaza, where the conflict is no longer defined solely by Israeli military operations, but also by the emergence of competing armed groups vying for control, influence, and survival amid the enclave’s ongoing devastation.
Local authorities affiliated with Hamas condemned the attack, accusing the militia of attempting to raid homes, abduct residents, and confiscate property with Israeli air support. In a statement, they warned that those responsible would be held accountable.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of ongoing violence in Gaza despite the ceasefire agreement signed in October. According to local estimates, more than 730 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,000 wounded since the agreement took effect. The total death toll since October 2023 has reportedly exceeded 72,000.
In recent months, attention has shifted to regional conflicts involving Iran and Lebanon, but violence inside Gaza has continued largely unabated. In addition to Israeli military operations, the emergence of armed groups like the Abu Nasira militia has introduced new layers of instability and internal conflict.
Outside the hospital, mourners carried the bodies of victims through the streets, calling for justice. “All of a sudden, the militia came in and started gathering young men and shooting at them,” said Ataf Al-Ghoulah, an eyewitness. “These people don’t even have bread to eat.”
The attack has intensified concerns about the role of proxy forces in Gaza and the increasing risks faced by civilians caught between competing armed actors.
