Former Israeli Defense Minister and opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman on Thursday accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of authorizing weapons transfers to a criminal gang in Gaza that he likened to the ISIS terrorist group. Netanyahu appeared later in the day to confirm the operation, suggesting it would save the lives of Israeli forces battling Hamas in the Palestinian territory.
“They are receiving weapons from the state of Israel. It’s a total madness,” Liberman said in a radio interview. “It’s unclear to me who approved it.”
Liberman said the head of Israel’s primary domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet was aware of the weapons transfers, “but I’m not sure the [Israel Defense Forces] knows. We’re talking about the equivalent of ISIS in Gaza. No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be directed at Israel. We have no way of monitoring or following.”
Liberman appeared to be referring to a militia called the Popular Forces of Palestine, led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The group is opposed to Hamas, the Israeli- and U.S.-designated terrorist group Israel has been at war with for more than a year and a half.
Popular Forces is believed to be a relatively small armed group based in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It has been accused of looting trucks trying to deliver aid to Gaza’s starving population, which its leader reportedly denied.
There have been reports that Shabab, the group’s leader, was previously jailed by Hamas for smuggling drugs, as well as reports that his brother was killed by Hamas when the group cracked down on attacks on U.N. aid convoys
Late on Thursday, Netanyahu acknowledged that, “on the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What’s wrong with that? It’s only good. It only saves the lives of IDF soldiers.”
RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP/Getty
Abu Shabab denied receiving weapons from Israel in a statement posted on social media.
“We categorically reject these accusations and consider them a blatant attempt to distort the image of a grassroots force born from suffering — one that stood up to injustice, looting, and corruption,” the group said. “This desperate attempt to link us to the occupation is, in reality, an implicit admission that we have become a powerful and influential force.”
Hamas orchestrated and led the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on southern Israel that began the war in Gaza. It said, following Netanyahu’s remarks, that “every individual involved in these mercenary gangs [Israel has allegedly been supporting] is considered by us to be an Israeli soldier. We will deal with them with full force.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid responded to the claim that Israel is arming Abu Shabab with a warning that it could see a repeat of a grim history for the country.
For decades, including multiple terms in office for Netanyahu, Israel allowed Hamas to grow and entrench its control in Gaza, with millions of dollars in support from the Arab would pouring in. It was seen as a cynical bid to prevent a unified Palestinian leadership from taking hold in Gaza and the much larger territory of the West Bank.
“After Netanyahu finished giving millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to giving weapons to organizations close to ISIS in Gaza, all off the cuff, all without strategic planning, all leading to more disasters,” Lapid said on social media.
“Weapons that enter Gaza will eventually be turned against IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens,” he said.
