After a security operation by the police... Gaza clans' gathering welcomes the killing of "aid thieves"

The National Gathering of Palestinian Tribes, Clans and Families welcomed the security campaign led by the Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip against what it described as "thieves and bandits," a day after the Interior Ministry announced that more than 20 Palestinians, whom it called "gangs of aid truck thieves," were killed in a security operation carried out by the police in cooperation with tribal committees.

In a statement, the group accused the occupation of "seeking to destroy all aspects of the rule of law and destroy police service centers, so that societal chaos, theft and crimes prevail, with the aim of making the Gaza Strip a disaster area unfit for human and decent life."

The gathering blessed "the steps of the police and their efforts in all areas to implement just retribution against this rogue, infiltrating, and treacherous gang," and called on them to further pursue those they described as "the occupier's lackeys."

The Gathering of Clans and Tribes in the Gaza Strip affirmed its support for the Palestinian police in all that they do to "fight corruption and corrupt traitors," stressing its pride in the honorable and patriotic position of the tribal sheikhs, clans, mukhtars, and families in lifting the tribal cover from some of their sons involved in shameful acts and exposing them to everyone.

The group called on international and local organizations to do their duty in confronting the "human famine that humanity has never experienced before in this world."

20 dead

Sources in the Ministry of Interior of the Gaza Strip government said yesterday, Monday, that more than 20 Palestinians, whom they called "gangs of aid truck thieves," were killed in a security operation carried out by the police in cooperation with tribal committees.

The sources added to Al-Aqsa TV that "this security operation will not be the last, and it is the beginning of a broad security operation that has been planned for a long time, and will expand to include everyone involved in stealing aid trucks," stressing that the security services will punish with an iron fist anyone involved in helping gangs of thieves.

She pointed out 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 Gaza Strip, noting that the security services monitored communications between gangs of thieves and the occupation forces to cover their actions and direct their tasks, and provide them with security cover from officers of the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shabak).

For its part, the Follow-up Committee of the National and Islamic Forces in Gaza praised the deterrent efforts made by the Ministry of Interior against the criminal thieves who tamper with the security of the home front and steal the citizens’ food, bread and medicine, and complete the occupation’s role in besieging our people and starving their children, women and elderly.

Involvement of the occupation army

The Washington Post quoted relief organizations as saying that organized gangs are stealing aid in Gaza and operating freely in areas controlled by the Israeli army, and confirmed that looting has become the biggest obstacle to distributing aid in the southern part of Gaza.

The newspaper added - quoting relief workers and transportation companies - that gangs killed and kidnapped aid truck drivers near the Kerem Shalom crossing, stressing that aid-stealing gangs in Gaza benefit from the Israeli army's leniency, and that looting operations took place near it without it intervening.

The Washington Post quoted relief organizations as saying that the Israeli authorities rejected most requests to take better measures to protect the convoys in Gaza, and also rejected appeals to allow the civilian police in Gaza to protect the trucks.

The newspaper also quoted an internal UN memo as saying that a gang leader had established what looked like a military base in an area controlled by the Israeli army, which had refused most requests to take better measures to protect convoys in Gaza. According to the memo, a person named Yasser Abu Shabab is the main party in the organized looting of aid in Gaza.

Source: Al Jazeera