6 days ago
Hamas fighters smash kneecaps of Gazan ‘food thief', then post video
Hamas fighters have been filmed torturing a man alleged to have stolen food in Gaza.
The graphic footage, circulating on social media accounts linked to the terror group, shows several figures standing over a blindfolded man as they use a metal bar to break his knees.
The video comes as the terror group attempts to retain control of Gaza. Statements on Hamas-linked channels report multiple 'executions' of Gazans for taking food in recent days.
The Strip was under a total blockade from the beginning of March until late May. Reports indicate that some of the the civilian population are approaching starvation.
Aid is being distributed from four purpose-built sites in and around the southern area of Rafah via a controversial US private contractor. But the project has got off to a shaky start with reports of chaotic scenes and multiple killings, allegedly by the IDF, which Israel says it is investigating.
There are increasing reports of both criminal gangs and ordinary Gazans looting aid lorries and warehouses.
Israel said that bypassing the previous aid model – whereby food and supplies would be delivered directly into communities, but was vulnerable to theft by Hamas – is crucial to breaking the terror group's hold over the population.
In Tuesday's video, the blindfolded man screams and writhes in agony as his joints are struck multiple times.
Other footage that surfaced in recent days appears to show summary killings of civilians. The evidence is not published via official Hamas accounts and is difficult to verify. But the footage is often accompanied by warnings purporting to be from the terror group.
One prominent account stated on Tuesday that 'security forces pursued thieves, executed four of them, suppressed 16 others, and shot eight' in central Gaza over the past 48 hours.
Others suggested six people had been killed across the Strip.
A message said: 'To every thief, every agent, every exploiter, and highway robber... This is our final message before your files are sealed with bullets.'
Similar statements speak of 'field sentences' for defiant civilians, many of whom are named on the Telegram social media channel.
Last week, it emerged that Hamas militants kidnapped, tortured and killed 22-year-old Oldai Naser Saadi, one of the leaders of the anti-Hamas protest movement in Gaza.
He was reportedly tortured for four hours. His body was then dumped at his family's home.
Credit: Telegram/Hamza20300
Despite the chaos, the Israeli government has lauded the new aid distribution system, delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, as crucial for breaking the 'fear barrier' among the population of Hamas.
It is alleged that the terror group physically tried to prevent people from walking to collect aid as well as releasing propaganda against the GHF.
The Telegraph has spoken to ordinary Gazans who say they are turning to theft of food from aid trucks because they are so hungry.
During the height of the ceasefire in Jan and Feb, approximately 600 vehicles were entering the Strip each day.
But figures suggest that over a 12-day period in late May the total number was just over 1,000.
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