Doghmush clan

Activities with Gaza's militant factions

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Members of the clan are affiliated or aligned with various Palestinian and Islamist groups, including Fatah, Hamas, Popular Resistance Committees, and Al-Qaeda.^[1]

Mumtaz Doghmush, who was involved in the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, led the Army of Islam by 2008. After Hamas' takeover of Gaza, the Doghmush clan was often involved in violent and deadly clashes with Hamas security forces. After the killing of a Hamas police officer, Hamas security forces raided a clan stronghold, leading to fighting between the clan and Hamas forces on 16 September 2008. Ten clan members, including Mumtaz's brother, were killed in the worst breakout of violence in Gaza since July 2008. Also killed was the infant daughter of Zakaria Doghmush, secretary general of the Hamas-affiliated Popular Resistance Committees.^[1]

Johnston kidnapping

Clan members affiliated with Al-Qaeda were involved in the kidnapping and holding of the British journalist Alan Johnston from March to July 2007.^[1] The clan members proclaimed themselves as the Jaysh al-Islām (Army of Islam), and being behind the kidnapping and holding of the British journalist Alan Johnston for four months in 2007. The family has reportedly been involved in extortion, smuggling, arms dealing and the killing of rivals. The clan has been dubbed "The Sopranos of Gaza City".^[2] They are linked to the British-based Palestinian-Jordanian extremist Abu Qatada. Mumtaz is suspected as the mastermind of Johnston's kidnapping.^[3]

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Gaza war

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Alleged execution of the clan leader

In March 2024, during the Gaza war, the leader of the Doghmush clan, Saleh Doghmush, was killed.^[4] Israeli news outlets reported that Hamas had clashed with the family during the war and executed Doghmush. The family issued a statement denying the claim.^[5]

Killing of clan members in air strikes

On 15 November 2023, 44 members of the clan were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a mosque in Sabra, Gaza.^[6] Between 17 November and 17 December, Israeli forces committed two massacres against the family, carrying out a saturation bombing of the block the family was concentrated in within the Sabra Neighbourhood. The attack caused the death of 109 members of the clan, including the leader. Al Jazeera Mubasher published a list of dead family members it received from the ministry of health.^[4]^[7]

Killing of clan members by Israeli snipers

On 22 November 2023, 3 members of the clan were killed by the IDF snipers in the "ghost unit."^[8] Israeli soldier Daniel Raab from Naperville, Illinois, allegedly confessed to killing 19 year old Salem Doghmosh in a video released by journalist and activist Younis Tirawis. An investigation by The Guardian newspaper confirmed the incident.^[9]

Alleged collaboration with Israel

Hamas has accused the Doghmush clan of collaborating and negotiating with Israel during the Gaza genocide.^[10]^[11] In June 2025, Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel armed anti-Hamas clans and militias in Gaza (notably Yasser Abu Shabab's Popular Forces), but the Doghmush clan was not specifically named.^[12]

After the October 2025 clashes, a senior source in Gaza's Ministry of Interior told Al Jazeera that the Doghmush militia members involved in the clashes had ties to Israel.^[13] However, some other reports from Gaza dispute this connection.^[14] Nizar Doghmush, head of the family in Gaza, acknowledged that Israel did contact him to manage a "humanitarian zone", but stated that he had refused.^[14]^[15]

October 2025 conflict with Hamas

After the announcement of the 2025 October ceasefire, the clan killed two Hamas members in Gaza City, including the son of a military intelligence head. A day later, Hamas killed a clan member and arrested 30 others.^[16] A clan source accused Hamas of having started the conflict by evicting family members from a building where they had taken refuge.^[17] During the clashes, the Doghmush clan was also responsible for the killing of journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi.^[13]

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Spelling

The family originally came to Gaza from Turkey in the early 20th century; consequently their name is also spelled Doğmuş, using current Turkish orthography.^[18] Doğmuş (Turkish pronunciation: [doːmuʃ]) means "born" using the inferential or dubitative past tense. Other possible spellings are Dogmosh, Dugmash, Dagmoush, Dughmush, Dogmush, Durmush and Dormush.^{[citation needed]}