In Gaza, gangs proliferate amid war chaos

In Gaza, another scourge has been added in recent weeks to Israeli bombings, diseases, lack of water and food: crime. Gangs emerged and brought terror to Gaza, looting homes and the rare humanitarian convoys.

Palestinians carry bags of flour after an aid truck passed near an Israeli checkpoint, February 19, 2024. (Illustrative image) © Kosay Al Nemer / Reuters

By: Sami Boukhelifa Follow

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From our correspondent in Jerusalem, 

In

Gaza

, until then authority was in the hands of Hamas. There is the armed wing, at war with

Israel

. But Hamas is also the government, the administration and the police. It was the Hamas police who were notably responsible for securing the food convoys entering the Gaza Strip. But Israel said: stop. The Israelis accuse Hamas of diverting this aid. Last month, a Hamas police car was targeted by an Israeli strike. Since then, the Hamas police have been very discreet.

So Gaza, a war zone, gradually transformed into a lawless zone. How can we guarantee the safety of humanitarian aid convoys attacked by criminals or hungry crowds? And above all, what alternative to the authority of Hamas? In Gaza, there are three private security companies. But with the war, they are no longer operational. Israel is said to have approached the major Gazan families and clan leaders to ask them to fulfill this role. “

 But in Gaza, no one moves without authorization from Hamas

 ,” confides an anonymous witness, contacted on site.

Food rations sold at high prices

“ 

Don’t bury Hamas too quickly 

,” continues this same witness. “ 

Don’t trust what the Israelis say. After six months of war, Hamas is still in place in the enclave. The proof is that as soon as the Israeli army withdraws from a position, the Hamas men return

 ,” he said. Example: al-Chifa hospital. Last November, Israel took control. This week, his army is forced to carry out a second assault to hunt down Hamas cadres who were there again.

It was in the midst of this chaos that gangs emerged. In recent weeks, they have therefore

attacked humanitarian aid convoys

. But they also got their hands on the food rations parachuted into the enclave. Their loot is sold at a high price to the Gazans. “

 But their reign will not last long 

,” assures our witness. “

 Hamas is already regaining control. Some of these thugs would even have been executed

 ,” says the Gazans.

A radical solution to restore order. But this does not resolve the issue of lack of food in the enclave. Israel still rigorously limits the entry of food trucks into the territory. In addition, there are two types of trucks: those loaded with humanitarian aid. And those loaded with goods intended for sale. And whose prices are exploding on the markets, the supply being far too low compared to demand and needs.

Read alsoGaza: aid restrictions imposed by Israel “could constitute a war crime”, according to the UN

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  • Gaza

  • Israelo-Palestinian conflict

  • Crime

  • Food