Armed clans are reasserting themselves in the Gaza Strip, challenging Hamas’s authority, particularly in areas where the IDF is conducting operations and Hamas has lost control, senior IDF officials told Walla .

Sources told Saudi-owned site Al Hadath on Sunday that Hamas has lost security control over the Gaza Strip, adding that thieves and gangs seize aid, loot homes , and terrorize residents.

According to a senior IDF officer, these clans act like armed militias, forcibly seizing food, looting warehouses, and shooting to protect their members from Hamas security forces.

The influence of these clans predates the current conflict, rooted in longstanding smuggling networks trafficking weapons, drugs, cigarettes, and electronic goods from Egypt and Israel. Over the years, Hamas rea

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