Starvation zones: The IDF reported chaos in the Gaza Strip
Hamas has lost control of the situation in the Gaza Strip: chaos is being recorded on the streets, militants are shooting at civilians who are trying to receive humanitarian aid. The official representative of the IDF, Anna Ukolova, told Izvestia about this. Arab media have also reported incidents of looting and unsuccessful attempts by Hamas to restore order with the help of local elders. Representatives of Hamas, in turn, accuse Israeli troops of killing civilians who are trying to get food from distribution points. The Palestinian movement claims that a new humanitarian aid mechanism introduced by Israel led to clashes in the struggle for food.
The deteriorating situation in Gaza
The Israeli army claims that the Palestinian Hamas movement has lost control of what is happening in the exclave. Looting and violence have been reported on the streets of Gaza, and militants are shooting at civilians who are trying to receive humanitarian aid. This was stated to Izvestia by the representative of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Anna Ukolova.
— We continue to strike at Hamas, including eliminating the commanders. You've probably already seen confirmation of the elimination of Muhammad Sinwar (the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On May 31, the Israeli authorities officially confirmed that they had destroyed it during a strike on an underground command post. — Ed.). We see manifestations of a certain chaos. We see how armed militants are shooting at civilians who are trying to reach the humanitarian aid points," said Anna Ukolova.
Hamas, in turn, claims that it was Israeli troops who opened fire on the local population near the distribution points of humanitarian aid. As a result, dozens of people were killed, according to the movement.
The situation is described no less acutely in the Arab media. According to local sources in the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, lawlessness is increasing in Gaza: the number of robberies is growing, and armed clashes between militants and representatives of local clans have become more frequent. In particular, cases of reprisals against people who were accused of collaborating with the Israeli special services are reported.
In an attempt to stabilize the situation, according to Al-Hadath TV channel, the Hamas movement is taking steps to restore public order. For example, he is trying to enlist the support of local elders (mukhtars). However, as the sources themselves admit, this measure proved to be ineffective — traditional forms of authority have lost their influence amid the destroyed security infrastructure and general chaos.
Sources in the Hamas movement told Asharq Al-Awsat that security forces from various structures, including fighters from the al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the movement), were ordered to pursue "gangs of robbers, those who stand behind them, as well as those who profit from citizens, including merchants."
Problems with the distribution of humanitarian aid
One of the most pressing issues amid the worsening situation in Gaza has been the distribution of humanitarian aid. It is in the struggle for food and medicine that the most tragic episodes of recent days have been recorded. According to eyewitnesses, on the morning of June 3, the Israeli military opened fire on Palestinians who were trying to reach a new humanitarian aid distribution point in southern Gaza.
However, the IDF's official statement provides a different version. The army claims that "several suspects" deviated from the designated route of approach to the military and that the soldiers first fired warning shots and then opened fire on "individuals who continued to move towards the positions of the troops."
Nevertheless, the deaths of civilians who came to get food are strongly criticized for the new aid distribution scheme in the sector. It was developed by Israel with the support of the United States and was supposed to replace the work of UN humanitarian agencies and international organizations with experience in such disaster zones.
A new private entity, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is now delivering and distributing aid. This system emerged after Israel imposed a total ban on the delivery of food and medicine to Gaza, which, according to international agencies, has brought the entire population of the strip to the brink of starvation.
In practice, the new method does not solve the problem: there are not enough pick—up points, security is limited, and the order is nominal. To get a box of rations, the Palestinians have to make their way through the destroyed streets of Southern Gaza — in fact, through an active war zone. The organization of food distribution is chaotic, there is no control, and there is often a stampede, and strong young men take help, leaving the most vulnerable — women, children, and the elderly — with nothing.
Hamas has sharply criticized the controversial aid distribution mechanism, which is being implemented with the support of the United States and Israel. According to representatives of the movement, the real goal of this initiative is not to provide assistance, but to forcibly displace residents. The movement stressed that this process has turned into a "trap of death and humiliation."
Earlier, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, said in an interview with Izvestia: Israeli agents are organizing attacks on humanitarian convoys in order to destabilize the situation.
Hamas's response to the US proposal
On May 29, the White House announced that Israel had approved the proposal of the US President's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Gaza.
Hamas sent a response to the proposal containing a number of new conditions, which Witkoff called unacceptable. "I have received a response from Hamas to the American proposal. It is completely unacceptable and only sets us back," he wrote on his social network page.
He added: "Hamas must accept the framework we have proposed as the basis for indirect talks, which we can begin as early as next week."
In reality, Hamas' response was not much different from the demands put forward by the Americans. One of the main points concerns the stages of the release of Israeli hostages and the transfer of the remains of the dead. According to the American proposal, 10 living and 18 dead hostages from the list of 58 people submitted by Israel should be released in two stages: five alive and nine dead on the first day of the agreement; five more alive and nine dead on the seventh day. This is done to build confidence at the beginning and in the middle of the first phase of the ceasefire.
In response, Hamas offers a more time—stretched schedule: four alive on the first day, two on the 30th day, and four more on the 60th. It is also proposed to transfer the remains in stages: six on the 10th, 30th and 50th days.
Thus, the key difference between the two proposals lies in the time frame of the liberation process: Witkoff's plan calls for rapid implementation within the first week, whereas Hamas insists on a stretched schedule over two months, reflecting their desire to obtain a longer cease-fire.
Mohammed Al-Masri, a Palestinian security expert, told Izvestia that Hamas was indeed in favor of extending the hostage exchange period, but in his opinion, this does not change the essence of the agreement proposed by Witkoff.
— Israel could well have agreed to the deal. The movement's response contained a caveat: they demanded that the wording "redeployment of Israeli troops" be replaced with "withdrawal of troops" in certain areas of Gaza, the expert noted.
Egypt and Qatar, which together with the United States are mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas, issued a joint statement promising to continue diplomatic efforts to bring the sides closer together and reach an agreement based on the Whitkoff initiative. In response, Hamas announced its readiness to launch a new round of indirect talks.
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