Palestinian militant group Hamas has executed a number of alleged looters after several incidents in which heavily armed gangs attacked food stores and community kitchens in the Gaza Strip this week.
Hamas officials have accused some of the looters of working in conjunction with Israel, which has sealed off aid from entering Gaza for the past two months.
Israel has not commented on the allegation at the time of filing this report.
The Hamas-run interior ministry, in one incident, said a police officer was killed and others were wounded when an Israeli drone fired a missile at a police unit chasing criminals in Gaza City.
“We will strike with an iron fist all these renegades, and we will take the necessary measures to deter them, no matter the cost, and we will not allow them to continue terrorizing citizens, threatening their lives, and stealing their property,”; the ministry said.
Director of Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, said some of the looters acted under a clan umbrella and others acted as organized groups, some of which he said received direct support from Israel.
According to him, a number of revolutionary execution rulings had been carried out against several top criminals proven to have been involved in looting.
Some Gaza residents and Palestinian media have said that Hamas’ armed wing imposed curfews starting at 9 p.m. to restrict the movement of civilians and to chase criminals.
Meanwhile, officials of the United Nations have warned of the increasingly dire humanitarian situation facing Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israeli campaign launched following the
It will be recalled that Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has defended its blockade against aid entering Gaza, alleging that Hamas steals supplies intended for the civilian population and distributes them to its own forces, an allegation that Hamas has denied
However, the problem has worsened as the blockade has persisted, posing a challenge to Hamas, which has faced irregular protests by people in Gaza angered by shortage of food reaching the enclave.
