Anarchy in Gaza: OHCHR Warns of Rising Chaos and Humanitarian Crisis

The UN's OHCHR issued a stark warning about the expanding anarchy in Gaza, citing rampant looting, killings, and shootings amid a severe humanitarian crisis. Ajith Sunghay highlighted the collapse of public order and safety. Israel's ongoing offensive has led to thousands of Palestinian deaths and societal breakdown.

The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday warned that "anarchy" is spreading in the Gaza Strip, with rampant looting, unlawful killings, and shootings compounding an acute humanitarian crisis. Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR for Gaza and the West Bank, cited the collapse of local law enforcement due to "Israel's dismantling of local capacity to maintain public order and safety in Gaza."

"Our office has documented alleged unlawful killings of local police and humanitarian workers, and the strangulation of supplies indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. Anarchy is spreading," said Sunghay, who returned from a visit to Gaza on Thursday. Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas after its militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages on Oct. 7. Gaza health authorities report that at least 38,848 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive since then.

Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for OHCHR, said the conditions in Gaza had "led to the predictable and entirely foreseeable unravelling of the fabric of society in Gaza, setting people against one another in a fight for survival and tearing communities apart." He added, "There is looting, mob justice, extortion of money, family disputes, random shootings, fighting for space and resources, and we see youths armed with sticks manning barricades."