Haaretz: All Israeli gangs in Gaza have disintegrated… Hamas alone is capable of ruling

The Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday that all local gangs in Gaza, which Israel supported during the last months of the war in the hope of challenging Hamas, have disintegrated, noting that the movement remains the only entity in the Strip capable of governing.

The Israeli leftist newspaper added, citing unnamed Israeli military sources, that “the local gangs that Israel supported during the final stages of the war, in the hope of challenging Hamas’s rule, have either disintegrated, or their members have been eliminated or removed from the scene”.

During the months of war, government, human rights, and foreign media reports indicated that Israel had formed and armed local gangs, operating under the protection of the army and in areas under its control, to loot and steal the meager aid reaching the Gaza Strip and to sow chaos there.

Following the ceasefire that went into effect on October 10, the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza announced in a statement that it was granting amnesty to gang members not involved in bloodshed to settle their status.

It also pursued a number of individuals who refused to surrender to security forces, according to local sources.

Haaretz continued: “The Israeli army believes that Hamas has reasserted its control over the governing institutions in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect”.

It quoted unnamed Israeli military sources as saying that Tel Aviv doesn’t see anyone in Gaza capable of taking over from Hamas.

Haaretz explained that the army had expected protests to erupt from Palestinians in Gaza against Hamas rule due to their difficult living conditions, but that didn’t happen.

Haaretz noted that Hamas controls Gaza at the municipal level, while occupying key positions in government offices with the aim of regaining control.

The Israeli newspaper added: “Hamas police are working unhindered to restore order, and have even begun cracking down on criminals exploiting the plight of Gaza’s displaced”.

In addition, Haaretz noted that Hamas is carrying out road cleaning and infrastructure repairs, but is struggling to begin a serious reconstruction process that requires the participation of countries willing to cover costs estimated at tens of billions of dollars.

Haaretz reported that many of the displaced haven’t yet returned to their homes in Gaza and the north, and are still waiting in the southern part of the Strip to confirm that the war is truly over.

They are also suffering financially due to the high costs of moving south during the fighting, or because there are no homes to return to.

Regarding the Rafah crossing, which Israel has controlled since May 2024, Haaretz noted that Israeli political leaders have ordered that the Rafah crossing with Egypt not be opened at this stage, while talks with Egypt on the issue have been suspended to pressure Hamas to release all the bodies of the slain hostages.

Since the agreement came into effect, Hamas has handed over 20 living prisoners and the remains of 14 of the 28 prisoners, most of whom are Israeli.

Hamas says it needs more time and heavy equipment to retrieve the remaining bodies from under the rubble.

Haaretz quoted unnamed Israeli security sources as saying, “The crossing will open for the first time since last January, but work on the facility must be completed first, including, among other things, the establishment of inspection facilities”.

During last January’s truce, Israel partially opened the Rafah crossing on an exceptional basis for a limited number of patients to travel abroad for treatment.

On the other hand, Haaretz noted that the foreign teams responsible for implementing the ceasefire agreement and supervising the provisions of its second phase haven’t reached agreements on the most sensitive issues, such as ceasefire policies, as well as the identity of the multinational force, its location, its powers, and the extent of its cooperation with Hamas.