Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly admitted that Israel is backing an armed group in the Gaza Strip that opposes Hamas — the organization designated as a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union.
According to reports from both Israeli and Palestinian media, the group in question is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The cooperation appears to be aimed at weakening Hamas’s control and influence in the region.
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) describes Abu Shabab as a criminal figure operating in Rafah, where his faction has been widely accused of looting aid trucks and engaging in illicit activity.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, now a Knesset member, strongly criticized the move, telling public broadcaster Kan:
“The government, under Netanyahu’s orders, is arming a group of criminals and convicts.”
Netanyahu defended the move in a video posted on social media:
“What did Lieberman reveal? That, based on security officials’ advice, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s all good — it saves the lives of Israeli soldiers.”
Military spokesman Major General Effie Defrin also confirmed the policy, saying:
“I can say that we are operating in various ways to counter Hamas governance.”
According to Michael Milshtein, a Gaza expert at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv, the Abu Shabab clan’s influence extends beyond Gaza, reaching into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since October 7, 2023, when the group launched a massive assault inside Israeli territory. Since then, the situation in Gaza has deteriorated rapidly, especially due to Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid, contributing to an intensifying humanitarian crisis.
