The dwindling of Gaza’s police force has had dire consequences for the humanitarian response to the war: a growing struggle to safeguard aid deliveries.
A police officer in central Gaza guards trucks carrying aid to the north on Nov. 27 during a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas. ’s governing infrastructure have helped to cripple humanitarian efforts in the enclave, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations say, with the territory’s slide toward famine intensifying amid a struggle to provide security for aid deliveries once they enter Gaza.until Hamas is eliminated. The militant group, which led the Oct.
Hamas faced no small task in policing the at times chaotic territory, where influential clans and criminal groups had filled power vacuums left by the chaos of the second Palestinian uprising. When Hamas took control, “its detractors argued that it has swallowed ‘a poison pill’” in assuming responsibility for law and order in the territory, historian Yezid Sayigh wrote in his 2011 book, “We Serve the People: Hamas Policing in Gaza.”“Clearly this has not happened. Quite the reverse,” he wrote.
As a result, “they have a track record that when it comes to civilian stuff, they still have the reputation of being effective.”The Gaza civil police could not be reached for comment because of the security situation.The police had been tasked with ensuring safe passage for convoys of aid trucks navigating the rubble and throngs of desperately hungry people amid the war, so they are “perhaps the most visible manifestation of Hamas governance in Gaza,” Omari said.
The police force’s role in civilian security matters has presented a conundrum. “There is no other option right now” for security, Omari said. “Yet if you allow Hamas to do the security for these kind of things, you’re acknowledging that Hamas remains the de facto authority in Gaza.
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