by Temitope Oladeji
08/6/2025
The Israeli government has confirmed providing support to an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas, following public accusations that the government has been arming individuals with criminal backgrounds.
The revelation came after former Defense Minister and current Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration was supplying weapons to “criminals and felons.”
Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin tribal leader in the Rafah region, reportedly leads the group.
International humanitarian organizations and analysts, including the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), have accused Abu Shabab’s faction of looting humanitarian aid trucks in the war-torn enclave.
In a video message posted on social media, Netanyahu defended the decision:
“What did Lieberman leak?… On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What is bad about that? It is only good if it is saving the lives of Israeli soldiers.”
Israeli and Palestinian media have identified the group as belonging to a Bedouin tribe with members living on both sides of the Gaza-Egypt border.
Michael Milshtein, a Palestinian affairs expert at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv, said the Abu Shabab clan is known for involvement in various illicit activities, including drug smuggling.
Brigadier General Effie Defrin, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, confirmed on Friday that the military has supported arming local militias in Gaza, though he declined to offer specific details.
“We are operating in various ways against Hamas governance,” Defrin said during a press briefing.
While Israeli officials said they formulated the move as a strategic effort to weaken Hamas operations within Gaza, the admission by the Israeli government has drawn wild criticism amid concerns over empowering groups accused of undermining humanitarian aid operations.