Doghmush clan

The Doghmush (Arabic: دغمش, pronounced "Doe-moosh" or "Durmush", see spelling) is a Palestinian clan from the Gaza Strip.

Activities with Gaza's militant factions

Members of the clan are affiliated or aligned with various Palestinian and Islamist groups, including Fatah, Hamas, Popular Resistance Committees, and al-Qa'ida.^[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-Qaida 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]

2023-24 Gaza war

See also: Executions and assassinations during the Gaza war

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 media outlets reported that Hamas 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 the 17 November and the 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 led to 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]

Spelling

The family originally came to Gaza from Turkey in the early 20th century and as a result their name is also spelled using current Turkish orthography as Doğmuş,^[8] pronounced "Doe-moosh", which means "born" using the inferential or dubitative past tense. Other possible spellings are Dogmosh, Dugmash, Dagmoush, Dughmush, Dogmush, Durmush and Dormush.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Islamist anti-Hamas groups in the Gaza Strip