In the chaos and anarchy of Gaza, armed gangs are proliferating

Correspondent in Jerusalem

Failing to fill the vacuum created by the destruction of Hamas’ military and administrative structures, Israel is allowing chaos to take hold in the Gaza Strip. In this chaos conducive to theft and violence, the strongest law reigns. Where the population fails to take justice into their own hands, more or less structured gangs flourish. Thieves are becoming more and more determined. On condition of payment, they may agree to be guards of humanitarian convoys: in this famine-stricken region, food is the object of all greed.

Some witnesses, evacuee Palestinians or staff of humanitarian organizations who were able to travel to Rafah, noted the violence of the attacks against humanitarian convoys entering or moving through the Gaza Strip. A humanitarian, who has spent only ten days near Rafah, says that his armored car, barely through the controls, was attacked by …