Gaza residents remain uncertain about future as Hamas fighters reappear

After President Donald Trump declared in Israel’s Knesset that “the war is over” and celebrated the return of the remaining living hostages, Hamas terrorists across the border in Gaza were reportedly killing its opponents in Gaza City’s main square — in full view of the public.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show the executions, which an Israeli military official told Fox News Digital are, “Hamas’s deliberate attempt to show the killing publicly and reestablish its rule by terrorizing civilians.”

In conversations with Fox News Digital, Gazans described Hamas fighters reappearing in the streets and reasserting control — yet some said this could also be their first real chance for change and to get rid of the terror regime.

Mukhaimar Abu Saada, a political analyst from Gaza, told Fox News Digital disarming Hamas will not be easy, as clashes between the group and local militias have already erupted. “This won’t happen quickly,” he said. “We’re talking about an ideological organization. Even last night, people were killed in clashes between Hamas and local militias. It’s not a rosy road.”

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President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein – Pool/Getty Images)

Abu Saada said Hamas has issued an ultimatum giving collaborators with Israel until October 19 to surrender and seek amnesty from Hamas — as long as they were not involved in killings.

“They’re still strong,” he admitted. “Part of the reason they didn’t fight harder in the last days is that they saved some men and weapons for the day after. I still see Hamas police in the streets of Gaza. Trump said they lost thousands, but they’re still there, able to control the streets once Israel redeploys.”

A man in Gaza who asked to remain anonymous told Fox News Digital that, despite official declarations, “You cannot say the war is finished,” he said. “We have to wait a few weeks to see what happens. There are gangs in Gaza now; Hamas is trying to fight them. If they don’t unify, another war could start.”

He described Hamas as weakened and divided. “Hamas is not strong like before. Those who remain are mostly police — not the real Hamas people who believe in their extremist jihadist ideology,” he said. “We have to watch what happens next and see if they rebuild.”

He said the group’s survival depends on whether it accepts the deal. He called the situation “very strange,” noting that Hamas agreed to release all hostages while Israeli is still holding parts of Gaza. “It’s not a real deal yet. We need someone from Hamas to explain what they agreed to, because we need to think about our future.”

A group of Hamas terrorists in Deir-el Balah in central Gaza as 20 living Israeli hostages were freed on Oct. 13, 2025. (Photos by TPS-IL)

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Another man in Gaza City voiced the same uncertainty. “No one knows what is happening — who will rule, what will happen with Hamas, and if the war is truly over,” he said. “We hope for a better future. I just want me and my family to live without targeting, without bloodshed.”

Ordinary Gazans, he added, are exhausted but yearning for calm. “People just want the blood to stop. They want to stop losing their relatives and friends … It’s in their hands now — if they will allow Hamas to continue or finally rise up. But nothing is clear.”

Abu Saada said there is “no question Hamas will have to disarm one way or another,” describing it as an inevitable part of the plan announced by President Trump and endorsed by Israel’s leadership.

“The real question is who will hold those weapons — the Palestinian Authority or the so-called ‘security stabilization force’ that’s supposed to deploy next. It’s definitely going to happen, but we have to wait for the second phase of the negotiations.”

A Gazan family walks near the rubble of buildings during the Eid al-Adha holiday, in Gaza City, June 6, 2025. (Mahmoud Issa/Reuters)

Abu Sadar sides even Qatari mediators have confirmed that disarmament “has not yet been discussed but will be discussed in the coming days.” For now, he added, Gazans are focused on survival after “two years of misery, destruction, and bloodshed.”

Ultimately, he said, Hamas will have to comply. “No Arab country will give a single dollar if Hamas doesn’t disarm. Rebuilding Gaza depends on Hamas no longer being in control. The war is over, but the real test is only beginning.”

While voices inside Gaza reflect uncertainty, experts in Washington say Hamas’s political and military isolation has never been greater.

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Jacob Olidort, director of the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital that Hamas is “in the most militarily and diplomatically isolated place it has ever been.”

“Even before and after the release of hostages, Hamas has been defiant in tone,” Olidort said. “But all of that will be overshadowed by the vast expansion of peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors. All of Israel’s regional partners are eager to normalize and build on where they left off prior to Oct 7.”

A group of Hamas gunmen in Deir-el Balah in central Gaza as 20 living Israeli hostages were freed on Oct. 13, 2025. (Photos by TPS-IL)

Olidort said the Sharm el-Sheikh summit will mark the beginning of phase two of Trump’s plan — “Whatever is happening now on the ground doesn’t reflect Gaza’s future,” he said. “None of the steps in the peace plan have been implemented yet. What comes next will be defined by that summit and by the regional consensus that Hamas cannot continue to control Gaza.”

For Israel, he added, “the focus will be restarting, in a more public way, its regional and global partnerships — defense, commercial, and diplomatic. That’s where Israel’s future lies.”

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While the guns have fallen silent, the next stage — Hamas’ disarmament and the arrival of a stabilization force — will determine whether Gaza finally begins rebuilding or slips back into chaos. As Abu Saada put it, “The war is over, but the question is whether peace will really begin.”