As famine tightens its grip on Gaza, waves of armed robberies have swept across the besieged Strip, targeting food stalls, warehouses, and private property. Local officials blame these incidents on a deliberate effort to plunge Gaza into chaos—an attempt to dismantle the social fabric from within while the outside siege continues.

The robberies come amid a deepening humanitarian catastrophe caused by over a year and a half of blockade and bombardment. Community leaders and families have united to reject the violence, calling for calm and the protection of public order. But the growing instability is seen not as a spontaneous breakdown, but as a calculated tactic—one that follows a pattern of targeting those who protect aid and enforce security, leaving a vacuum exploited by criminal gangs.

These events coincide with propaganda blaming Gaza’s leadership for the aid crisis, despite clear evidence that the real blockade lies at the crossings, where food and medical supplies have been systematically blocked. The looting, combined with false narratives, appears designed to spread panic, turn people against one another, and pressure civilians to abandon their homes.

Security forces have reported being directly targeted while responding to these attacks, with recent casualties including an officer and a child. This has fuelled suspicions of a coordinated plan to dismantle Gaza’s internal stability through starvation, fear, and lawlessness.

Despite the enormous strain, officials insist the people will endure. “What is happening now is the last failed attempt to break Gaza. Our people, though exhausted, remain rooted. We have survived worse—and we will survive this.”