For the overwhelmed staff at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, a patient brought into the emergency department last week presented an unusual crisis.
The wounded man had been caught in a clash between rival armed groups in southern Gaza, fighting over scarce supplies taken from aid convoys. Within an hour of his arrival, armed men stormed the hospital. They assaulted medical workers, damaged equipment, and burned vehicles. More armed individuals soon arrived, filling the hospital grounds with gunfire—a facility already scarred by repeated nearby Israeli strikes.
The situation worsened when forces from Gaza’s interior ministry, historically controlled by Hamas, intervened, sparking another exchange of fire. The shootout only ceased once the rival gunmen fled. Meanwhile, Israeli drones circled overhead.
The episode, recounted to CuriosityNews by hospital workers and residents, reflects the growing disorder in Gaza after almost two years of war.
“Armed factions battle each other while Israeli strikes and troops target civilians. Meanwhile, Hamas remains present, and thousands live in ruins, struggling to find food and shelter,” said a humanitarian official. “It resembles a dystopian nightmare.”
The conflict began with Hamas’s October 2023 assault on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people—mainly civilians—and capturing 251, 50 of whom remain in Gaza. Israel’s military response has claimed over 56,500 Palestinian lives, mostly civilians, displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, and left much of the territory in ruins.
Recent months have seen additional armed groups joining the chaos, with rival factions vying for control amid ongoing Israeli operations. These include militant factions, clan-affiliated militias, community-led alliances, and gangs exploiting the breakdown of order.
As a result, Gaza is fracturing into isolated zones. The Israeli military controls much of the area, including a cleared “buffer zone” along the perimeter and parts of the southern border with Egypt—where it collaborates with local forces led by ex-convict and smuggler Yasser Abu Shabab. Israel’s prime minister has acknowledged supplying weapons to clans opposing Hamas.
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