With Israel targeting the Gaza police, armed gangs are robbing precious aid [Getty]
As Israeli attacks on Gaza intensify, the collapse of local policing has left the Strip vulnerable to lawlessness, with armed gangs looting warehouses, aid depots, and bakeries—sparking fears of rising internal instability.
Over the past days, a series of thefts has been reported in Gaza City, particularly in the al-Rimal neighbourhood. Armed groups, operating largely at night and during Israeli air raids, have raided both empty and stocked warehouses belonging to international aid agencies, bakeries, and charitable kitchens.
Officials say these groups are taking advantage of the near-total absence of security enforcement, a result of ongoing Israeli bombardment and the deliberate targeting of Gaza’s police forces.
Since 18 March, Israel has resumed its assault on the Strip, part of a broader war that has continued for over 19 months. According to local sources, hundreds of police officers responsible for securing aid convoys have been killed and hundreds more injured in Israeli airstrikes, severely undermining law enforcement capacity.
Before the ceasefire agreement in January, popular committees composed of security forces and tribal leaders were formed to protect aid trucks and public infrastructure. Many of those personnel have since been targeted by Israeli attacks.
In areas east of Rafah and Khan Younis, organized gangs reportedly led by a man accused of collaborating with Israel have emerged. Though he has been pursued multiple times, he has so far evaded capture.
In response to the spike in criminal activity, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior said Saturday that “the security and police forces have begun field operations to pursue these collaborators and outlaws, punish them, and prevent their exposed attempts to spread chaos and terrorize civilians”.
The ministry added that a security unit “was directly targeted multiple times by Israeli aircraft late on Friday night, while carrying out its duty to maintain security in Gaza City and pursue these criminals,” resulting in the deaths of a police officer and a child, and injuries to other personnel and civilians.
“The ongoing targeting of security personnel by the occupation reflects the scale of the conspiracy being plotted against our people in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry stated, “and exposes the extent of complicity by a faction of collaborators who have abandoned their national duty and loyalty to this people”.
Ismail al-Thawabta, Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, accused Israel of orchestrating a deliberate campaign to destabilize the Strip from within.
“The occupation does not stop at killing, starving, and besieging us—it is actively working to dismantle the internal front by mobilizing criminal gangs composed of collaborators and outlaws, with the aim of tearing apart the social fabric and distracting both the resistance and the people from their central battle against the machinery of death and destruction,” he told The New Arab’s Arabic language outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
“The coordination between the occupation and these gangs has become clear, with Israeli surveillance drones observed providing cover for the gangs’ movements and targeting security personnel attempting to protect citizens and their property,” he added.
Al-Thawabta stressed that authorities are responding decisively.
“These incidents will be dealt with firmly and decisively, through a unified national and popular security apparatus.”
He said that “field executions have been carried out against some of those involved, and harsh punitive measures have been taken against others”. Curfews have been imposed in sensitive areas, and security presence has been reinforced in coordination with local families.
“No group will be allowed to threaten the safety of civilians or exploit the war to undermine the unity of the internal front,” he said. “The revolutionary legal code will be applied forcefully and without hesitation.”
