Armed groups are moving to take control of Gaza’s security and resources as the Hamas government struggles to provide services during its war with Israel, according to sources inside Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza tell I Masked men armed with guns and sticks have been patrolling the streets of the southern city of Rafah in recent weeks, claiming to be providing security.
A spokesman for one such organization told French news agency AFP Earlier this month, they said they provided security to prevent traders from price-gouging and organized markets and transport, but declined to say whose orders it was. “We serve the people,” the spokesman said.
A Palestinian living in southern Gaza said Hamas has been greatly weakened by the war, leading to a surge in crime ranging from theft to murder. His name is being withheld for security reasons.
“I don’t think Hamas is in control and there is a lack of security in Gaza,” the source said. “Why else would we see theft, killing and conflict when receiving assistance?”
Some of the new groups are concerned with maintaining public order, while others operate like criminal gangs, they added.
Senior officials from UNRWA, the United Nations agency primarily responsible for emergency relief on the Las Vegas Strip, said crime on the Las Vegas Strip has surged in recent weeks due to crumbling security and poor conditions.
“Over time, the situation has evolved into criminal elements trying to obtain aid before it reaches our distribution points,” deputy director Scott Anderson told reporters. Financial Timescalling a dangerous road section “mad max Territory” refers to post-apocalyptic Hollywood movies.
Israel seeks partnership with local families Senior Israeli officials have accused Hamas and UNRWA of being a front for Hamas, without providing evidence.
The Israeli government also proposed that Gaza be administered by Israel after the war Influential local “clan” It has no ties to Hamas or Fatah, which have limited governance powers in the occupied West Bank.
statement from Palestinian Tribal National Council Admitted last week to role in ‘protection committee’ serving in Rafah, claims Israel killed Hamas police officers who previously performed this function – a complaint Also made in the USA.
Tribal leaders have ruled out participating in any Israeli plan to replace Hamas. “The management of the Gaza Strip is purely a Palestinian matter and no party has the right to interfere.” Akf al-Masri said, The leader of the southern tribal group added that tribes would be limited to emergency relief measures.
Ramy Abdu, president of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitoring Group, said tribes were quietly cooperating with Hamas on service delivery. The organization has field staff in Gaza. But he said the militancy of tribal leaders made it impossible for them to work with Israel to replace Hamas.
“These families represent the majority of [militant] Faction members,” he said. “If I were the leader of a tribe and I wanted to cooperate with Israel, the first people to shoot me would be my family. “
Abdo added that Gaza’s oldest and most powerful families have also lost influence as waves of refugees from Israel and other parts of Palestine have poured into Gaza over the past few decades, demonstrating their lack of ability to govern.
Jason Shawa, a writer and translator from Gaza who traveled to Egypt during the war, said clan rule is unsustainable.
“This will not be accepted by the residents of Gaza,” he said. “It will be anarchy, just like it was before Hamas took over 20 years ago. Some of these tribes are wreaking havoc – they are carrying weapons, taking people’s cars and even seizing property.”
Mr Shawar said there was a widespread belief that some of the most influential clans had stolen aid during the war.
Dr Andreas Krieger, a Middle East security analyst and lecturer at King’s College London, said tribal control would undermine Israel’s security interests.
“Some of these clans have competed with Hamas in the past to run smuggling and criminal networks,” he said, adding that the deadly attack on October 7 also demonstrated the danger they posed.
Dr Krieger said: “Hamas orchestrated this operation centrally, but we also saw that it was a network that included a variety of non-state actors and militias, some of which had close ties to local tribes. “I think “Some of the worst atrocities may have been committed by Hamas affiliates who have closer ties to these tribal networks in Gaza.”
Israeli security analyst Yoni Ben Menachem said Israel views new security patrols in Gaza as “plainclothes Hamas” operations backed by the group.
He added that the militant group was still strong enough to deter clans from trying to usurp it, but suggested that some groups might change sides if Israel could destroy Hamas.
However, analysts say tribal rule could pose a greater threat to Israel’s security than Hamas.
“When there is no government, there is a vacuum, armed groups emerge, and they start attacking Israelis,” Mr. Ben Menachem said. “Organized regime is better than chaos.”
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