UN rights office says 'anarchy' spreading in Gaza

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday warned that "anarchy" was spreading in the Gaza Strip, with rampant looting, unlawful killings and shootings as the population faces an acute humanitarian crisis.

Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR for Gaza and the West Bank, described unlawful killings and looting in the absence of law enforcement linked 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 vowed to eradicate Hamas after its militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies. At least 38,848 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive since then, Gaza health authorities say.

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."

"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," he said.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Peter Graff)