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Israel’s government has been accused of arming a Palestinian criminal gang whose members have allegedly looted humanitarian aid, in an apparent attempt to counter Hamas in Gaza.
Satellite images and videos verified by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz showed on Thursday that a new Palestinian militia has expanded its presence in southern Gaza, and is operating inside an area under the direct control of the Israel Defense Forces.
The group, which has also been accused of ties to jihadist groups, is reportedly led by a man known as Yasser abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity and the looting of humanitarian aid.
According to media reports, Abu Shabab’s group, which calls itself the “Anti-Terror Service”, consists of about 100 armed men who operate in eastern Rafah with the tacit approval of the Israeli armed forces. It has variously been described as a militia and a criminal gang.
The Times of Israel cited defence sources who said that Israel provided members Abu Shabab’s faction with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including some weapons seized from Hamas. The operation was approved by Israel’s security cabinet and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the newspaper reported, noting that its article had been approved for publication by Israel’s military censor.
In a video posted on social media late on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel had “activated” some Palestinian clans in Gaza, on the advice of “security officials,” in order to save lives of Israeli soldiers.
The prime minister’s office had earlier said that “Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment.”
The former defence minister and opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman repeated the allegations and alleged that Abu Shabab’s group was affiliated with the Islamic State terror group.
“The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister,” Lieberman, who heads the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, told Kan Bet public radio. “To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet.”
The basis for Lieberman’s allegation of ties to IS was not clear. Abu Shabab’s group has previously been accused of involvement in smuggling operations linked to Egyptian jihadi groups.
A security official told Israeli news outlet Ynet that the arming of Abu Shabab was approved and led by the Shin Bet internal security service, and described the operation as “planned and managed”, with the goal of “reducing Israeli military casualties while systematically undermining Hamas through targeted strikes, infrastructure destruction and the promotion of rival local forces.”
The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In recent weeks, Abu Shabab has published anti-Hamas and anti-Palestinian Authority messages while promoting his militia’s efforts on Facebook.
Abu Shabab’s links with Israeli forces were confirmed by his family, which issued a statement last week formally disowning him.
“We, like everyone else, were surprised by video footage broadcast by the resistance showing the involvement of Yasser’s groups within a dangerous security framework, reaching the point of operating within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces, who are brutally killing our people,” the statement said.
“We affirm that we will not accept Yasser’s return to the family. We have no objection to those around him liquidating him immediately, and we tell you that his blood is forfeit.”
Abu Shabab has reportedly claimed his group were protecting aid convoys, while Hamas has accused him of looting the aid trucks.
On 28 May, Jonathan Whittall, the head of United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in occupied Palestinian territories said: “Israel has publicly claimed that the UN and NGO aid is being diverted by Hamas. But this doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza.”
When contacted by the Guardian, Whittall confirmed he was “referring to gangs such as Abu Shabab.”
On Wednesday, a labour union representing truck drivers in Gaza said it was halting transport of aid deliveries within the strip after an incident in which several truckers were shot dead by gunmen.
The Private Transport Association said it was calling the strike in response to an incident a day ago in which a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid was attacked by gunmen in the central Gaza.
“This crime is not the first of its kind, but it is by far the most serious in a series of recurring assaults aimed at obstructing relief operations and preventing vital aid from reaching hundreds of thousands of civilians facing dire humanitarian conditions,” the statement said.
Jihad Sleem, vice-president of the Special Transportation Association, who lost his relative, Mohammed al-Assar, in the attack, said he did not know who the gunmen were.
Asked if he suspected Abu Shabab was behind the killings, he said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he was involved in these attacks. He’s a gangster.”
Jamal Risheq contributed to this report
