GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — As soon as Gaza escaped a bloody and cruel war with Israel that lasted 50 days, it entered a spiral of bombings and lawlessness. The last three months have seen shootings, bombings and local institutions stormed and robbed. The security services have made no arrests, and Gaza's citizens are now back to the years of security chaos that preceded Hamas’ takeover of the Strip in 2007.

Periodic reports issued by the Independent Commission for Human Rights show a rise in crime in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2015. Starting November 2014, there has been an increase in bombings, car burnings, kidnappings, theft and shootings, most notably the assassination attempt of Fatah leader Mamoun Sweidan on Feb. 16.

Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a Feb. 16 press statement, “Incidents of burning property and vehicles, planting explosives and shootings by unknown persons have increased in various parts of the Gaza Strip, threatening the security of the citizens and raising the general feeling about an escalating lawlessness amid the absence of information regarding who is behind these crimes and whether the perpetrators were arrested and brought to justice. These incidents constitute a continuation of the pattern of attacks, which are continuously happening.”

Fatah and Hamas have exchanged accusations of responsibility for the security chaos. Former intelligence chief Tawfiq Tirawi, a member of the Fatah Central Committee and a resident of Ramallah, accused the former interior minister in the Gaza government, Fathi Hammad, of being behind the bombings that targeted the homes of Fatah leaders in December. Hamas, in return, accused Tirawi of being behind the attacks. Gaza's Deputy Interior Minister Kamel Abu Madi said in statements published in the Hamas-affiliated Al-Risala newspaper, “Tirawi is not innocent of what’s happening in the Strip, and the security services in the West Bank are behind much of what is happening in Gaza. Tirawi is part of this situation targeting Gaza.”