About a week ago, gunmen killed two police officers affiliated with the Hamas government and wounded several others during an operation in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, to arrest a wanted suspect. The attackers subsequently fled in what was not the first incident of its kind.
Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that, within hours of the incident, it became clear that the gunmen had headed toward areas where armed gangs operate east of Deir al-Balah.
According to the sources, areas controlled by armed gangs in the Gaza Strip, primarily located in territories under Israeli military control that account for approximately 70% of the enclave, have become safe havens for criminals, particularly those responsible for killing security personnel.
The sources confirmed that all those who fled to areas where armed gangs operate had committed crimes of a purely criminal nature.
Repeated Incidents
One source said that over the past year and a half, similar incidents had been documented involving gunmen who committed murders, wounded individuals, carried out robberies or engaged in drug trafficking before fleeing to areas controlled by armed gangs.
These gangs exploit such incidents to recruit fugitives into their ranks, taking advantage of their personal circumstances, socioeconomic conditions and the fact that they are wanted by police and judicial authorities.
In the October 26 incident, police officers were attempting to ambush a wanted suspect when he opened fire on them. Other gunmen joined the shooting, killing two officers and wounding several others.
Multiple sources confirmed this account, including the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, which said it was pursuing the suspects and continuing its efforts to maintain security and stability in the Gaza Strip and prevent the spread of lawlessness.
However, some of those involved returned the day after the killings, barricaded themselves inside a house and gathered armed relatives around them.
The sources reported mediation attempts aimed at resolving the dispute and persuading the wanted suspects to surrender to Hamas government security forces, but no agreement has been reached so far.
The families of the two slain officers have demanded swift retribution and insisted that neither those directly involved nor their supporters be allowed to escape punishment.
In a joint statement, the families said that carrying out retribution was the only guarantee of "upholding justice and calming tensions."
Their demands came amid fears of renewed violence that could result in deaths on both sides, particularly after some of those involved in the killings returned to Hamas-controlled areas.
Security Concerns
Armed gangs have become a persistent security concern for Hamas security agencies and other Palestinian factions, which continue to pursue their members, particularly in light of the gangs' involvement in serious security incidents, including assassinations of security officials and abductions of faction activists.
The situation comes as Hamas police and security agencies face severe difficulties investigating and pursuing criminal and security-related offenses across the Gaza Strip because of repeated Israeli attacks against their personnel.
In the latest such incident, several police officers were killed on Sunday while deployed in areas south of Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, when an Israeli drone struck them as they carried out their duties.
Five officers were killed, including Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Al-Jamal and Major Bassam Miqdad. Six others, including civilians, sustained injuries of varying severity.
Gaza's Interior Ministry described the attacks as "systematic," saying they had killed 75 police officers and personnel since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025.
In a statement, the ministry appealed to the international community to "take urgent action and pressure the occupation to stop its crimes against the police force, which performs civilian duties under the law to preserve citizens' security and safety."
Repeated Attacks
Separately, three Palestinians, including a man and his child, were killed in an airstrike on a crowded street filled with displaced people in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City.
The man's wife and their other child sustained serious injuries.
The strike occurred during a period of heavy movement by residents, displaced people and schoolchildren, leaving several others wounded, some critically.
A Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Jamal Abu Isaid, a commander in the Al-Qassam Brigades, the movement's military wing, was among those killed in the strike.
Only minutes separated the first airstrike, which targeted police officers in Khan Younis, from the second, which struck a group of civilians in Gaza City.
Around midday Sunday, several Palestinians were also wounded, including a woman in critical condition, when Israeli military vehicles opened fire toward the Halawa displacement camp in Jabalia al-Balad, northern Gaza.
Another Palestinian was reported to have died from critical injuries sustained several days earlier in the village of Al-Masdar in central Gaza.
The latest deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire came into effect to more than 1,585, with over 5,700 others wounded.
During October, Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed more than 143 Palestinians, including 22 children, according to figures from the enclave's Health Ministry.
