Hamas fighters tighten grip in Gaza, clouding future of ceasefire

People gather to greet freed Palestinian prisoners arriving on buses in the Gaza Strip after their release from Israeli jails under a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. Picture: Jehad Alshrafi/AP

Hamas fighters tightened their grip in Gaza on Tuesday after carrying out public executions, defying Israel's assertion that war cannot end under US president Donald Trump's plan until the militants are disarmed.

In a stark assertion of the group's return, fighters executed men they accused of collaborating with Israeli forces. In one video circulated late on Monday, Hamas fighters dragged seven men into a circle of people in Gaza City, forced them to their knees and shot them from behind. A Hamas source confirmed the authenticity of the video.