Hamas executes multiple people, alleges they were looting food supplies amid famine in Gaza

Hamas has carried out multiple executions of individuals accused of looting food and aid supplies in the Gaza Strip.

Armed gangs in the region are increasingly targeting warehouses, community kitchens and civilians amid deepening hunger and lawlessness, Reuters reported citing sources close to the Palestinian militant group.

The executions, described as “revolutionary execution rulings” by the Hamas-run government media office, were carried out against what officials said were “top criminals” responsible for recent looting incidents. Some of the looters, Hamas alleged, were receiving support from Israel or acting under tribal umbrellas.

“We will strike with an iron fist all these renegades,” the Hamas-run interior ministry said in a statement Saturday, vowing to stop looters from “terrorising citizens, threatening their lives, and stealing their property.”

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The crackdown follows a string of attacks by gangs on food distribution points across Gaza, which remains under an Israeli blockade that has largely prevented the entry of humanitarian aid for nearly two months. Israel has not commented on Hamas’ claim that the looters were collaborating with Israeli forces.

One incident turned deadly when an Israeli drone fired a missile at a police unit chasing suspected criminals in Gaza City, killing one officer and wounding others, according to the Hamas-run interior ministry.

Amid the escalating security challenges, the interior ministry has formed a new 5,000-member force to counter looters and gangs, the Hamas-affiliated SAFA news agency reported. But enforcement efforts have been complicated by the risk of Israeli drone strikes against any armed individuals, including police and internal security personnel.

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Some residents in Gaza said the gangs have been robbing civilians at gunpoint.

“Those gangs, some of them armed, have terrorised people, not only stealing food, but stopping some people on the roads and taking away their money and phones,” a resident of Gaza City said. “They aid the occupation in starving us; they must be dealt with as collaborators.”

Palestinian media reports said Hamas’ armed wing has also imposed 9 pm curfews across parts of Gaza to restrict movement and aid in the pursuit of criminal groups.

The violence comes amid an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis in the territory, where Israeli forces continue their offensive nearly seven months after the October 7 Hamas-led attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken.

The Israeli campaign has since killed more than 52,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and displaced much of the population into overcrowded zones along the coast and central areas of the strip. United Nations officials have repeatedly warned of famine and urged unimpeded aid access, though Israel alleges that Hamas diverts supplies for its fighters— a claim the group denies.

Despite deploying thousands of police after a ceasefire in January, Hamas has seen its internal security presence diminish following Israel’s renewed military operations in March. Sporadic protests in Gaza over food shortages have posed a growing challenge to the group’s authority.

The past 24 hours saw Israeli airstrikes kill at least 40 people across the enclave, the health ministry said Sunday.

With inputs from Reuters