At least 27 people were killed in Gaza City during violent clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family, one of the deadliest internal confrontations since major Israeli operations ended.

Fighting erupted in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood near the former Jordanian hospital, where Dughmush gunmen had taken refuge, prompting panic as dozens of families fled.

Hamas said the Dughmush fighters had killed two of its members and wounded five, leading to a heavy security operation; the family claimed Hamas sought to evict them to establish a new base.

The toll includes eight Hamas fighters and 19 Dughmush members, with both sides blaming each other for starting the violence, the BBC has reported.

Hamas has deployed thousands of security personnel to reassert control over areas recently vacated by Israeli troops, though the group denied sending “fighters into the streets.”