Officials in the Gaza Interior Ministry, controlled by Hamas, reported that more than 20 local residents were killed in a crime prevention operation carried out by Palestinian security forces in cooperation with tribal committees.
According to the report, the victims were members of gangs that took control of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip.
"Today's security operation will not be the last," these officials told Hamas's Al-Aqsa channel. "This is the beginning of a large-scale security operation that has been planned for some time and it will expand to include everyone involved in the theft from the aid trucks."
They emphasized that "Security forces will punish with an iron hand anyone involved in aiding the gangs of thieves" and that "the security operation is not directed against the tribes themselves, but its purpose is to eliminate the phenomenon of theft from trucks, which has had a significant impact on society, causing signs of hunger in the southern Gaza Strip."
"The security forces take pride in the Palestinian tribes in eastern Rafah, and the involvement of some of them in the theft plans will not harm the history of these families who have produced hundreds of martyrs," these officials said.
The ministry further stated that ''security forces monitored conversations between the gangs of thieves and the occupation forces intended to cover up their actions, direct their missions, and provide security cover for them by officers of the internal security force of the occupation. The security forces updated the Palestinian organizations on the action plan and they received a wide national front blessing."
In recent months, videos have been published showing armed militants affiliated with Hamas brutally torturing local residents suspected of stealing food and equipment. In some cases, after being tortured, the suspects were shot in the legs or executed.