According to an expert, Hamas has set the stage for a potential civil war because the group has declared its intention to “cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel.”

Hamas has summoned approximately 7,000 fighters to reclaim authority over parts of the area that Israeli forces vacated during the prolonged two-year conflict.

This development coincides with Israel’s anticipation that all remaining hostages held by Hamas will be freed within hours, ending their harrowing experiences of starvation, torture, and forced grave-digging.

However, Israel and Hamas are said to be locked in last-minute negotiations over the release of Palestinian prisoners.   

Hamas has stationed its units in various districts and appointed five new governors, each with a military background.

A former security officer from the Palestinian Authority expressed concern that Gaza might be on the brink of another internal struggle, fearing the rise of civil unrest.

‘Hamas hasn’t changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive,’ he told the BBC.

He remarked that Gaza is overflowing with weapons, as looters have taken thousands of firearms and ammunition from Hamas stockpiles during the war. Additionally, some groups have reportedly obtained supplies from Israel.

‘This is a perfect recipe for civil war: weapons, frustration, chaos, and a movement desperate to reassert control over a shattered and exhausted population.’ 

The mobilisation order was issued via phone calls and text messages that read: ‘We declare a general mobilisation in response to the call of national and religious duty, to cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel.

‘You must report within 24 hours to your designated locations using your official codes’.

Images show gun-wielding officers, several of them in plain clothes and others in blue uniforms, patrolling the streets as tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed norther Gaza Strip.

Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in Trump’s ceasefire plan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.

But the latest truce marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year-conflict that was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90 percent of the Gaza population of some two million, often multiple times. Many of them will find fields of rubble where their homes once stood.

The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire on Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday.

Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military’s announcement.

Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.

‘If this is achieved the easy way – so be it. If not – it will be achieved the hard way,’ Netanyahu said.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 percent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

Meanwhile, the United Nations was given the green light by Israel to begin delivering scaled-up aid into Gaza starting Sunday, a U.N. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.

The aid shipments are meant to address severe malnutrition and famine conditions triggered by Israeli offensives and restrictions on humanitarian help.

The International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Netanyahu and his former defense minister for allegedly using starvation as a method of war. Israeli officials deny the accusations.

The aid will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been positioned in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt as humanitarian officials awaited permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.

The Israeli hostages were expected to be released ‘any moment now’, US vice-president JD Vance said today. 

But today’s talks have cast a shadow of doubt on their release, The Telegraph first reported.  

Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said earlier: ‘Israel is ready… if a living hostage requires any urgent medical attention, they will be brought to a medical facility immediately.’