Hamas executes Palestinians for looting as desperation grows under Israeli blockade
Hamas has executed six Palestinians in Gaza and shot 13 others in the legs for alleged looting, the militant group said in a statement, as desperation grows under a complete Israeli blockade that has now entered its third month.
In a statement issued Friday, Hamas said it would carry out more executions against 'every criminal we can reach in the next two days.'
Since last week, armed gangs have increasingly taken to the streets of Gaza City, going after some of the remaining food supplies and challenging Hamas' control of the territory, according to CNN journalists in Gaza. Hamas claims some of these 'criminal gangs' are collaborating with Israel.
'A warning has been issued – those who ignore it bear full responsibility,' Hamas said in the statement.
The executions – and Hamas' vow that more will follow – is a stark reminder that the militant group, even weakened after more than 18 months of war, retains power in Gaza.
As food supplies have begun running out across the coastal enclave, Palestinians have grown increasingly desperate to find whatever food remains. On Wednesday night, thousands of people stormed a UN facility and multiple warehouses across Gaza City looking for remnants of meals, such as flour or canned food, according to a journalist who witnessed one such incident.
Hamas claimed some of the alleged looters were collaborating with Israel.
On Saturday, Hamas' Ministry of Interior and National Security claimed that 'a group of outlaws, collaborators with the occupation, has emerged to threaten the lives of citizens, spreading fear and chaos in some neighborhoods, and attacking public and private properties.'
Scenes of mass hunger have become far more common as Gaza's population of 2.1 million Palestinians edges closer to famine. Israel imposed a complete blockade of Gaza on March 2, stopping the supplies of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, into the besieged territory.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Farra, the head of the pediatric department at Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza warned over the weekend that 'a looming health catastrophe is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands.'
'We are facing the danger of a massive wave of deaths due to malnutrition if the current humanitarian crisis continues unaddressed,' he told CNN. Earlier Saturday, two-month-old Janan Saleh Al-Sakkafi died due to malnutrition at Al-Rantisi Hospital, Dr. Munir Al Barsh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza told CNN.
The US State Department said an announcement regarding humanitarian aid is possible 'in the coming days' that would allow much-needed food and medicine to reach the Palestinian population without being diverted by Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
'Safeguards are finally in place. Israel remains secure, Hamas empty handed, and Gazans with access to critical aid,' a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson described the project as an element of 'creative thinking' but did not provide any details on how it would function in Gaza. An unnamed private foundation would manage the aid mechanism and the delivery of the humanitarian supplies into Gaza, the spokesperson said.
Since taking power in the enclave in 2007, Hamas has executed dozens of suspects including some accused of collaborating with Israel.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, is pressing on with chief of staff Eyal Zamir saying on Sunday that the IDF would issue 'tens of thousands' of orders to reservists in the coming week, to ramp up its offensive in the enclave.
Khader Al-Za'anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed to this story.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
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Egypt Independent
5 hours ago
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Reports from eyewitnesses and humanitarian agencies recount heaps of injured people and survivors, saying that the aid distributions resembled military operations more than relief. The sites are fenced and guarded by private security and Israeli troops. Palestinians must pass through screenings and identity checks in scenes likened to checkpoints, fueling desperation and fear. GHF relies on private security contractors, often US-based firms, to manage logistics and crowd control, raising serious concern over the safety of aid seekers. The UN, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and over 170 other NGOs have condemned the GHF, citing violations of neutrality, impartiality, and safety. Doctors Without Borders described GHF distributions as 'slaughter masquerading as aid.' Investigations by the UK channel Sky News found that many distributions were announced less than 30 minutes in advance, often via last-minute Facebook posts. Locations were inaccurate or in combat zones and supplies frequently ran out within nine minutes of opening, it said. Some distribution centres are 10 to 20 km away from major population centres, forcing refugees to walk through militarised zones to reach them. Only the strongest make it. UN aid coordinators have refused to work with the GHF, accusing Israel of using the organisation to politicise humanitarian assistance and sideline established UN‑led systems. Israel has banned main UN humanitarian agencies like the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA that have been supplying Gaza with essential aid for decades from operating in the Strip. 'There is no case since World War II of starvation that has been so minutely designed and controlled,' UK famine expert Alex de Waal said. This is entirely man-made starvation, he told the Qatari news channel Aljazeera, 'and every stage has been predicted, and action could have been taken by Israel and the international community to prevent what is happening. Those steps haven't been taken.' Groups including Swiss NGO TRIAL International warn that the GHF leadership may be criminally liable for aiding war crimes or crimes against humanity, especially if sites were used to force population displacement southward. Human rights attorneys highlight the pattern of luring starving civilians into zones where they become targets under the guise of aid. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called GHF operations 'an abomination' and a 'death trap costing more lives than it saves.' International humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for Israel to open all border crossings and allow UN-led agencies to deliver aid based on need, not political alignment, and to declare a ceasefire to enable safe distribution and further the prevent collapse of Gaza's basic services. They have also called for suspending GHF operations pending independent investigation to ensure adherence to humanitarian principles. UN experts have been raising the alarm over the spread of famine in Gaza since July last year. 'With the death of the first child from malnutrition… it becomes irrefutable that famine has taken hold,' the experts said in a statement a year ago following the death of two children from hunger and malnutrition in June 2024. 'We declare that Israel's intentional and targeted starvation campaign… has resulted in famine across all of Gaza.' * A version of this article appears in print in the 24 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
