A truck carrying aid enters the Gaza Strip in May. Photo: Daoud Abu Alkass/AFP
By 7iber Staff – November, 19, 2024
In one of the largest operations of its kind, the Ministry of Interior in Gaza announced yesterday that more than 20 members of gangs responsible for stealing aid trucks entering the Strip were killed. The ministry stated that the operation, which Palestinian factions were informed about, marks “the beginning of an extensive security effort that has been extensively planned and will expand further.”
The operation comes after a series of reports in recent days about the role these gangs played in looting the already scarce aid destined for the people of Gaza, with clear “Israeli” sponsorship. This was done by limiting the flow of aid to routes controlled by the gangs, turning a blind eye to looting operations happening under the occupation forces’ watch, and targeting Palestinian police forces and any groups attempting to organize distribution efforts. Additionally, there was direct collaboration between members of these gangs and the “Israeli” occupation military. The Ministry of Interior announced that it “monitored communications between the looting gangs and the occupation forces, coordinating their activities, directing their operations, and providing them with security cover through officers from the “Israeli” Security Agency, the Shin Bet.”
Thus, these reports refute the repeated “Israeli” accusations against the resistance in Gaza of stealing aid, which have been used repeatedly to justify the closure of border crossings and preventing aid from entering, tightening the siege on the people of the Gaza Strip who are enduring an ongoing genocide. The accusations aim to create chaos and internal conflict, especially with the growing phenomenon of looting aid since the occupation of the border strip with Egypt last May and the closure of the Rafah crossing.
Under the Occupation’s Watch
In a lengthy report published on Monday, The Washington Post quoted an internal memo from the United Nations stating that the gangs are benefiting from the leniency, if not protection, of the “Israeli” army in Gaza. The memo further revealed that some of these gangs have set up “quasi-military” camps in areas controlled by the “Israeli” army, which it regularly patrols and restricts access to.
The report cites a number of staff members from international and UN organizations involved in aid efforts, as well as convoy truck drivers, who said they repeatedly asked the “Israeli” army to provide alternative routes for delivering aid, offering protection for the convoys, or to allow Palestinian police to provide security. However, all of these requests were rejected. In many cases, the occupation forces allowed the theft of trucks right under their noses. The latest incident occurred last Saturday, when a gang looted 98 out of 109 trucks in a UN food aid convoy, firing at the drivers and holding one of them hostage for several hours.
Throughout the months of the war, incidents of attacks on aid convoys occurred sporadically by some locals, in a desperate attempt to secure food for their families amid the famine. However, since the closure of the Rafah crossing and the transformation of the “Kerem Shalom” crossing into the only route for aid, the attacks have become larger, more organized, and more violent, according to aid workers quoted by The Washington Post. When the second aid crossing opened last month, the “Kissufim” crossing, gang members immediately began operating near it.
According to a report by Haaretz, the “Israeli” army now refers to a “looting zone” located about one kilometer from the “Kerem Shalom crossing,” where most of the thefts occur. This area is entirely controlled by the army, which has surveillance points located just a few hundred meters, and sometimes less, from the makeshift barriers erected by the gangs. During a tour organized by the “Israeli” army for journalists, the report notes that one aid truck passed by, and an army officer casually pointed to it, saying, “About 500 meters from here, it will be stolen.”
The goals and methods of these gangs have substantially changed over the last few months. Initially, active primarily in smuggling before the war, they focused on looting contraband cigarettes from aid shipments. Since the ban on bringing cigarettes into the Gaza Strip, their prices skyrocketed, making them a sort of currency in the black market. However, with the Rafah crossing closed and gang attacks intensifying, the gangs began to seize entire trucks, taking them to warehouses in areas controlled by the “Israeli” army and selling the stolen goods at inflated prices. Over the past summer, The Post reported that aid valued at $25.5 million had been stolen.
In addition to stealing aid, the gangs in many cases imposed extortion payments of thousands of dollars on passing trucks, threatening drivers with beatings or abductions if they didn’t comply. Haaretz reported a senior official from one of the aid organizations saying, “I saw an “Israeli” tank and a Palestinian gunman with an assault rifle standing 100 meters away. The gunmen assault the truck drivers and take all the food unless they pay them.”
While the relationship between these armed individuals and the “Israeli” forces appears to be at least one of cooperation and tolerance, it seems to go further. According to a report by Arab 21 from Gaza, many members of these gangs have prior criminal convictions, and some of their leaders are known informants, coordinating with the “Israeli” army to track the movements and types of aid trucks, even receiving light weapons and ammunition from them. These operations occur under the direction of the “Israeli” forces, with gang members benefiting from operating “in an area where police forces can’t move freely” due to the constant targeting by the “Israeli” military. Many of these individuals have previously been targeted for assassination by the resistance.
One of the most talked-about names in this context was Yasser Abu Shabib, described by the UN memo as “the primary and most influential figure behind the massive, organized looting operations.” There were reports of his death in the operation carried out by the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, but other reports indicated he survived the operation, with his brother and other gang members killed instead.
In its report, The Wahington Post said it contacted Abu Shabib last month, who admitted to the looting of trucks, though he claimed his gang didn’t touch “food, tents, or children’s supplies.” He also acknowledged resistance efforts against him, stating, “Hamas gunmen have shot at my gang several times.” While he didn’t deny accusations of collaboration with the “Israeli” forces, Abu Shabib told The Post, “Let them say what they want about us working with Israel. Israel doesn’t need us.” According to the paper, Abu Shabib’s gang is responsible for at least four truck driver deaths since May, as well as numerous injuries, with many suffering broken limbs.
Gaza Interior Ministry Creates ‘Arrow Unit’ To Deal With Gangs Blackmailing Aid Groups
Targeting the Gaza police to create chaos
The escalation in looting coincided with “Israel’s” targeting of Palestinian police forces and security agencies that attempted to protect aid convoys, organize the distribution of aid, regulate markets, and prevent price gouging and hoarding. A report issued last week by 29 international NGOs, including Oxfam, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, attributed the worsening theft of aid to “Israel’s” targeting of the remaining police forces in Gaza, the shortage of essential goods, the lack of roads, the closure of most crossings, and the desperation of the population, which has led to these catastrophic conditions.
Over the past few months, “Israel” has carried out a series of targeted assassinations aimed at police officers and security figures responsible for overseeing the distribution of aid. These individuals had been within the scope of targeting since the start of the war. One of the most prominent of these targets was the assassination of Major General Faiz al-Mabhouh, the head of Gaza’s Internal Security Forces, in March. He was besieged for 16 hours at the Shifa Medical Complex, where he fought Israeli forces until he was martyred. This occurred just three days after he oversaw an agreement with the United Nations, tribal leaders, and some merchants that allowed aid trucks to enter northern Gaza during one of the worst famine days, after a four-month halt, and distribute their cargo in an organized manner to thousands of families.
In the two days following al-Mabhouh’s martyrdom, “Israel” assassinated Major Raed Al-Banna, head of the Investigations Department in northern Gaza, along with his wife and children in a bombing that targeted his home. Then, Major Mahmoud Al-Bayoumi, director of the Nusairat Police Station, was killed, along with other members of the emergency committees. Both were responsible for securing aid trucks. In the following months, the assassinations continued, including the martyrdom of Ridwan Al-Ridwan, head of the Jabalia Police, in April, and Colonel Zahir Al-Houli, head of the Central Gaza Police Investigations Department, in May. This was followed by the assassination of three other police officers in the Nusairat Refugee Camp, while they were securing markets. In June, eight more police officers were killed in Deir al-Balah.
These assassinations are part of what security sources in Gaza describe as a plan to cause “security collapse” in Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip, particularly by targeting police officers responsible for securing aid convoys, in order to “create an environment conducive to looting and spreading chaos.” Additionally, “Israel” sought to provide cover for gangs, some of which have recruited members from tribes in southern Gaza, and supplied them with weapons, to “build a parallel force to Hamas’ authority in Gaza,” according to another security source in Gaza.
Despite these ongoing attacks, the recent security operation announced by the Ministry of Interior reflects an escalation in the campaign against looting gangs, particularly with the formation of a specialized police force called “Sahm Unit” (Arrow Unit.) This unit is tasked with maintaining security, fighting thefts, and monitoring prices, and it is responsible for the recent operation.
The new force is active in securing main roads, especially those used for aid shipments and commercial trucks, ensuring they reach designated warehouses for distribution. The force also operates within local markets to monitor prices. It consists of police and security personnel, along with some volunteers, and operates in civilian clothing to avoid being targeted by “Israeli” forces. The unit has been instructed to take immediate action against looting gangs and has recently thwarted several armed robbery attempts, according to Arab 21 sources.
In response, the “National Gathering of Palestinian Tribes, Clans, and Families” issued a statement welcoming the security operation, calling for further operations against gang members, and warning that if the the looters do not “return to the national fold,” they will be “held accountable by their people according to revolutionary legitimacy.” The gathering also praised the national stance of tribal leaders, clan chiefs, and families for “lifting the tribal cover from some of their members involved in disgraceful acts.”
The National and Islamic Forces Coordination Committee also issued a statement praising the operation against the thieves, who “complete the role of occupation in besieging our people and starving their children, women, and elderly.” The statement also warned merchants against “illegally profiting at the expense of displaced and impoverished citizens.”
The Ministry of Interior, in its announcement of the operation, stated that it received “wide national support,” and that the security agencies had briefed the factions on the operation’s plan. It also pointed out that the ongoing campaign “does not target specific tribes but aims to eliminate the phenomenon of truck looting” and that the involvement of some individuals from Palestinian tribes in the east of Rafah with these gangs does not tarnish the history of their families.
(7iber)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/ME/DZ
