Sources in the ministry told Hamas media outlets that more than 20 people from…Gangs of thievesAid trucks were killed in a security operation carried out by the Ministry’s security services, in cooperation with tribal committees, east of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
The sources added, “The security operation will not be the last. It is the beginning of an expanded security operation that has been planned at length and will expand to include everyone involved in the theft of aid trucks.”
The sources added that the security campaign “does not target specific clans, but rather aims to eliminate the phenomenon of truck theft, which has greatly affected society and caused signs of famine in the southern sector.” Gaza“.
She said that the security services monitored communications between “gangs of thieves” and the Israeli army forces to cover their work, direct their tasks, and provide security cover for them, noting that “the security services placed the Palestinian factions in the plan of the operation and they received broad national blessing.”
The operation comes hours after officials at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees announced (UNRWA) A convoy of 109 trucks was subjected to violent looting, on Saturday, after entering Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks.
The officials stated in press statements that the convoy loaded with food supplies from UNRWA and the World Food Program “received an order without a sufficient preparation period from Israel to enter through an unusual route from the Kerem Shalom crossing.”
The Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” revealed last Sunday that the Israeli army allows armed clans in Gaza to plunder aid trucks entering the Strip, and take a “royalty” from them.
The newspaper said that armed attacks are carried out under supervision Israeli army Hundreds of meters away from his forces, where gunmen stop trucks using temporary checkpoints, or by shooting at truck tires.
The newspaper quoted sources in international relief organizations as saying that gunmen linked to two well-known clans in the Rafah area are systematically preventing a large portion of trucks entering the Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing from reaching their targets, while the Israeli army deliberately turns a blind eye to their actions.
She said that the gunmen stop the trucks using temporary checkpoints or by shooting at the trucks’ tires, then ask the drivers to pay a “transit fee” worth $5,000. If the driver refuses the request, he risks the truck being hijacked or seized and its contents stolen.
The area where the aid is looted is subject to surveillance by the Israeli Air Force, using a drone, according to the newspaper, noting that soldiers and commanders working in Gaza say they are well aware of the looting incidents, and confirm that they have become common.
According to the newspaper, the problem of armed gangs has worsened since the army took over Rafah crossingwhich was until then the main crossing for goods to enter Gaza, and since the cessation of operation of the crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt, most goods have entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The World Food Program has previously warned of the food crisis in Gaza turning into a famine, saying in a statement that the entire Gaza Strip is “at risk of famine” due to the ongoing Israeli military operations, which exacerbate fears and impede the arrival of humanitarian aid.
The statement explained that the World Food Program has about 94 thousand tons of food in JordanEgypt It is enough to feed a million people for 4 months, but he cannot bring it into Gaza because the available entry points are few and some of them are unsafe.
