After twenty days had elapsed, the rebels thought that a quick decision was required, lest the armies from the surrounding provinces arrive and they were made to suffer the consequences of their actions. For this reason they stopped Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) from leaving his house, and also forbade the transfer of food and drink into his house. They thought that perhaps in this manner, Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra) would be compelled to accept their demands.
The administration of Madinah was now in their hands. The three armies collectively accepted Ghafiqi, the commander of the Egyptian armies, as their commander in chief. So, it was as if, Ghafiqi was the ruler of Madinah at the time; Ashtar commanded the army of Kufah and Hakim bin Jabalah (the same robber who had been imprisoned in Basrah, on the order of Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra), for robbing the wealth of non-Muslim subjects) commanded the army of Basrah, under the leadership of Ghafiqi. Once again, this proves that the rebels of Egypt were the root cause of this conflict, where ‘Abdullah bin Saba was at work. Ghafiqi would lead the prayers in Masjid-e-Nabawi while the companions of the Holy Prophet(sa) would either remain locked up in their homes or would be compelled to offer prayers behind him.1
The rebels did not cause people much hindrance until they decided to lay siege upon the house of Hazrat ‘Uthman(ra). However, as soon as they laid siege [upon his house], they began to oppress other people as well. Instead of being Darul-Amn [the House of Peace], Madinah had now become Darul-Harb [the House of War]. The respect and honour of the people of Madinah was in danger; no one would step out of his house unarmed and the rebels would kill anyone who confronted them.
1 Tarikhut-Tabari, vol. 5, pp. 155-156, Dhikru Masiri Mann Sara Ila Dhi Khashabin Min Ahli Misra..... / p. 172, Dhikrul-Khabari ‘An Qatlihi Wa Kaifa Qutila, Published by Darul-Fikr, Beirut, 2002 edition [Publishers]