Israel is arming local gangs in the Gaza Strip to weaken Hamas, but the efforts are propping up a man accused of looting aid trucks, according to a new report.
Yasser Abu Shabab, whose “Popular Forces” militia is active in southern Gaza, has openly challenged Hamas and touted himself as a liberator overseeing the humanitarian aid distribution within his territory.
“He has a full-glide militia up and running, fully backed by Israel,” a UN official told the Washington Post.
Shabab, who regularly shares video of his forces on social media, declared the eastern section of Rafah as his domain last month, where 2,000 refugees reportedly live under his group’s care.
The set up came around the same time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that his military was actively arming influential gangs in Gaza as a way to “oppose” Hamas.
While Netanyahu didn’t name Shabab’s group directly, the clan leader’s base is in an area controlled by the Israeli Defense Forces, with his militia caught on video several times operating alongside the IDF.
One of the videos was verified by the Guardian, showing the armed men working with IDF soldiers at the Kerem Shalom crossing despite the gang not being recognized by any independent humanitarian group operating in Gaza.
The IDF has also notably steered clear of conflict with the armed militia after returning to war in March, allowing the group to set up checkpoints and inspect the aid going to Rafah, the UN and humanitarian groups said.
Shabab has repeatedly denied the allegations that he works with the Israeli military, slamming them as nothing more than Hamas propaganda.
Despite Shabab’s efforts to distance himself from the Jewish state, Israeli media has propped him as the man who can succeed Hamas and steer Gaza in a new direction following Netanyahu’s proposal to have the Strip led by local leaders approved by Israel.
Shabab’s rise to prominence, however, has been marred by repeated allegations that his group was behind the armed robberies of aid trucks in southern Gaza.
International aid groups that operated in the Strip had accused Shabab and his armed men of systematically looting the trucks delivering food and essential items enroute to refugees.
While Shabab initially denied the claims, he later admitted that his men raided half a dozen aid trucks out of desperation, The New York Times reported.
Both Shabab and Israel had claimed that Hamas was behind the systematic looting of humanitarian aid in Gaza, but the IDF acknowledged last week that it had no evidence to support the claim.
Shabab has also been accused of smuggling drugs and weapons out of Gaza before the war began, with his associates conducting business with the Islamic State branch based in Sinai, according to the WaPo.
Israel’s plan to bolster local clans is reminiscent of its failed “Village League” strategy in the West Bank during the 70s and 80s, where the Jewish state gave money and privileges to carry arms to local clan leaders to oppose the Palestine Liberation Organization.
