Amid critical food shortages in Gaza, aid workers and residents report that escalating violent thefts by criminal gangs have become the primary barrier to the distribution of supplies in the southern region.
Reports indicate that armed individuals are reportedly active in plain view of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) within a restricted area near the border.
Reports indicate that Hamas, recognizing a chance to restore its waning authority, has reinstated a specialized security unit aimed at addressing issues of theft and banditry.
On November 16, a significant incident unfolded as gangsters targeted nearly 100 UN lorries, resulting in injuries to many Palestinian drivers. This event marked one of the most severe aid losses during the ongoing conflict. Following the robbery, several individuals suspected of looting were reportedly killed in an ambush.
Last week, a notorious criminal family from Gaza obstructed the primary Salah al-Din Road, which connects to Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, for two days.
According to witnesses, iron barriers were put in place, and lorries attempting to reach the aid distribution point came under gunfire.
Law and order have deteriorated in the vicinity of the Kerem Shalom crossing, the primary gateway for goods, as gangs are exploiting the resulting power vacuum’, states Sam Rose, deputy director of Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
“After 13 months of intense conflict, the disintegration of order seems unavoidable.”
With the onset of rainy winter weather, humanitarian officials emphasize the urgency of addressing the escalating crisis affecting Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, who are now displaced mainly to the central and southern regions.
Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN’s humanitarian office, Ocha, in Gaza, describes the situation as “tactical, systematic, criminal looting.”
He asserts that this situation is resulting in what he describes as “ultra-violence” manifesting in multiple directions – “from the looters towards the truckers, from the IDF towards the police, and the police towards the looters.”
Since the beginning of the year, Israel’s targeted actions against police officers in Gaza, attributed to their involvement in Hamas governance, have led to a notable rise in lawlessness in the region.
“Hamas’s security control has fallen to below 20%,” stated the former head of Hamas police investigations in an interview with the BBC. He noted, “We are developing a strategy to restore control to 60% within the next month.”
Displaced residents of southern Gaza express support for the recent initiatives by Hamas aimed at combating criminal gangs.
“Killing the thieves who stole aid is a step in the right direction,” asserts Mohammed Abu Jared, a resident.
Conversely, some view these actions as a calculated effort to dominate profitable black markets.
“Hamas is eliminating its rivals in the appropriation of aid,” states Mohammed Diab, an activist based in Deir al-Balah. “A larger organized crime group has eliminated a smaller one.”
Hamas’s efforts to assert leadership in the face of criminality are widely viewed as a direct result of Israel’s inability to reach a consensus on a post-war strategy for Gaza.
At present, there are no viable alternatives to the Islamist movement and armed group that Israeli leaders have committed to eliminating following the deadly attacks on October 7 of last year.
Amid escalating turmoil, the flow of aid into Palestinian territory has plummeted to some of the lowest levels recorded since the onset of the conflict.
The looming threat of famine is most acute in the besieged northern regions, where Israel is executing a new and intensified military offensive. However, the situation in the south is also dire, with significant shortages of food, medicines, and other essential goods reported.
“The cost of essential goods has surged dramatically, with a bag of flour now priced at over $200 (£160) and a single egg reaching $15. In some cases, these items are simply unavailable,” stated Sam Rose of Unrwa.
For the past week, Umm Ahmed has been seen daily with her children, waiting in a long queue outside a bakery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where they receive a limited supply of loaves of bread.
“Every day, my children experience significant hunger.” The essentials are beyond our financial reach. The situation is marked by ongoing distress. “There is no food, water, cleaning products, nothing,” she states.
“Our aspirations are simple: we seek to lead a life of dignity and respect.” There is a pressing need for food. There is a pressing need for goods to be imported and allocated equitably. All that is being requested is straightforward.
The United States has been advocating for Israel to permit an increased flow of aid trucks into Gaza.
Israeli officials assert that the primary obstacle to achieving their target of 350 deliveries per day is the failure of the UN and other international aid organizations to supply a sufficient number of lorries at the crossings.
Aid workers have dismissed that assertion. There is an urgent appeal for the Israeli authorities to lift numerous entry restrictions and to open and secure additional crossing points to facilitate the collection and distribution of supplies.
Concerns have been raised regarding the deterioration of public order, with assertions that Israel, in its role as an occupying power, has a responsibility to ensure protection and security.
Reports indicate that thefts frequently occur in plain view of Israeli soldiers or surveillance drones, yet the army reportedly does not take action.
Reports indicate that stolen goods are being kept in outdoor locations or warehouses situated in regions under Israeli military oversight.
The IDF has yet to respond to BBC enquiries regarding its strategies for addressing organized looting and smuggling activities. The organization has maintained that it implements countermeasures and strives to facilitate aid entry.
In the early stages of the conflict, as food shortages intensified, reports emerged of Gazans resorting to theft from aid lorries arriving in the region.
Cigarette smuggling rapidly evolved into a significant enterprise, with gangs resorting to armed confrontations to intercept convoys upon their arrival from Egypt’s Rafah crossing. Following the closure of this route in May, the focus shifted to Kerem Shalom.
A cigarette packet in Gaza has skyrocketed, with a pack of 20 previously priced at approximately 20 shekels ($5.40) before the conflict. Currently, the cost of a single cigarette has surged to an astonishing 180 shekels ($48.60).
Cigarettes have been discovered hidden within the frames of wooden aid pallets and concealed inside sealed food cans, suggesting the presence of a regional smuggling operation.
In a move that has drawn significant attention, Israeli authorities have imposed a ban on commercial imports for the past six weeks, contending that such imports serve to benefit Hamas.
The reduction in food supply has contributed to increased armed looting incidents.
In a troubling turn of events, stolen goods ranging from flour to winter shelters, intended initially as international donations for those in need, are now being sold at exorbitant prices on Gaza’s black market.
In Egypt, months’ worth of donated supplies are being delayed as obstacles in the aid delivery process persist.
Recent reports from local media indicate that Israel is exploring the possibility of providing aid to Gaza through a private, armed American security contractor.
Aid workers are expressing concern despite the absence of any official announcements at this time.
Georgios Petropoulos of Ocha raises concerns about which donor countries would prefer supplies to be distributed in this manner.
“What is the actual level of safety we can expect?” He asks, “I believe it will catalyze increased bloodshed and violence.”
