(TNND) — A delicate pause in the war between Israel and Hamas has led the militant group to take to the streets in Gaza, cracking down on rival groups in a struggle for control that comes as negotiations to move to the next phase of the cease-fire are getting started that includes hopes of forcing them out of power and agreeing to disarm themselves.

Hamas has framed the crackdown as an attempt to restore law and order to Gaza after months of lawlessness due to the war. It has been filled with public executions and other spouts of violence that threaten to upend the tenuous peace.

Dozens of people have been killed, some of which have been captured on video showing public executions in public spaces as the group tries to show they are still the dominant force governing Gaza. Hamas lost thousands of fighters and many of its top commanders over the last two years of war but still is not ready to give up its control over the territory.

That may complicate the next stages of negotiations to keep the peace intact, as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war requires Hamas to disarm itself, allow for an international peacekeeping force to come in for security and end its 20-year reign of control of Gaza. Hamas has rejected each of those demands so far, claiming more negotiations are needed.

The group has said it was willing to hand over power to other Palestinians and claimed it will not allow for chaos during the transition period. But Israel and other analysts are wary of Hamas refusing to lay down its weapons could allow it to wield influence and rebuild its military capabilities. The violent show of force is the latest example of concerns it will never agree to give up its authority.

“At every cease-fire for the last two years, Hamas used it to refit, rearm and resupply its fighters, not to go toward the greater good of peace,” said Mark Chandler, former director of Defense Intelligence Agency's Middle East and Africa Center and professor of practice at Coastal Carolina University. “Now that they don't have to fight Israel, they're reasserting control over the clans.”

Hamas’ crackdown has not yet caused issues for peace talks, though Trump gave the militant group a stern warning to reduce the violence in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.

"If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them," he wrote.

Earlier this week, Trump had downplayed the violence and also said that Hamas would disarm itself at some point.

“Everyone says, ‘Oh, well, they won’t disarm.’ They will disarm,” Trump said Tuesday. “And I spoke to Hamas and I said, ‘You’re going to disarm, right?’ ‘Yes, sir, we’re going to disarm.’ That’s what they told me. They will disarm or we will disarm them. Got it?”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made similar comments about getting Hamas to agree to lay down its weapons and give up control over Gaza, warning that “all hell” will break loose if they do not.

“If this is achieved in the easy way, it’s all for the better. And if not, it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said last week.

Israel and Hamas began negotiations on getting into the second phase of Trump’s peace deal on Wednesday as efforts are also underway to locate and facilitate the return of deceased hostages in Gaza. Only nine of 28 bodies have been returned to Israel so far with struggles to find some of the hostages buried in rubble and in Hamas’ sprawling tunnel network throughout Gaza.

The second phase of the peace plan is where all the more challenging issues lay — getting Hamas to disarm, agreeing to give up control of Gaza, establishing a new governing authority free of influence from the militant group and getting an international peacekeeping force in place.

Both sides have accused the other of violating the cease-fire already, though the truce has remained intact as negotiations have continued.

Israel is restrained in its ability to conduct military strikes of Hamas fighters under terms of the peace plans, which in part has allowed them to make the show of force in authority and raised questions about what it will take to get them to give it up or whether they ever will.

“The reality of the situation is we're not even through phase one yet, and Hamas is showing its true colors,” said Chandler, the author of "The Israel - Hamas War: Making The Complex Comprehensible." “Great things have been accomplished in the last week, but we have a long road ahead, and Hamas is not ready to give up its control and authority.”