2024-02-29 06:42:14
After Israel targeted the police… masked gunmen monitor prices in Rafah markets
A member of a civil group said that masked gunmen in Gaza began patrols to prevent merchants from exploiting the situation and profiting in Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are seeking refuge to escape the Israeli air and ground campaign, according to what Reuters reported.
About five months into the war, prices rose in Gaza as all commercial imports stopped entering following the outbreak of fighting on October 7. Only limited amounts of humanitarian aid arrive.
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people now live in Rafah near the border crossing with Egypt, most of them in tents and other temporary shelters, following fleeing devastation in other parts of the Strip.
Pictures published on social media platforms showed masked men next to selling tables in markets. In one photo, two men appeared armed with rifles, and in another photo, six men appeared armed with clubs.
The pictures showed bandanas on the heads of men armed with clubs with the words “People’s Protection Committee” written in Arabic.
A man who described himself as a member of the committee said in a phone call with the agency that their move was forced by circumstances to enforce law and order; Because police patrols disappeared from the streets following being targeted by Israeli strikes.
The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of Israeli retaliation, said that their move aims to “punish those who exploit people’s needs.”
The war began following Hamas fighters stormed Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage, according to Israeli statistics. The Israeli air and ground campaign then led to the deaths of regarding 30,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza, which is run by Hamas.
The patrol in Rafah market, today, Wednesday, was seen by Muhammad Abu Imad, a 24-year-old university graduate who fled his home in Gaza City early in the war, and now lives in a tent.
He said that the police were a common sight in Rafah until they were recently targeted by raids, and they were supervising the organization of long queues in front of bakeries, stores and banks.
Abu Imad said he was concerned regarding the appearance of masked men enforcing public order. He added: “Maybe this is a good thing, but God willing, they will treat people well… We prefer that the war ends and the real police return.”
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