LONDON: New details have emerged about Israel’s controversial support for the anti-Hamas Popular Forces militia in Gaza, including providing the group with weapons and assisting its combat operations with airstrikes.
The militia, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, the head of a former looting gang, is positioning itself to play a significant role in the future governance of Gaza.
An investigation by the Data and Forensics Unit at Sky News found that the militia is receiving aid from the US-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and being allowed to smuggle cash, guns and vehicles into the Palestinian enclave by the Israel Defense Forces.
Experts warned that Israel’s support for the group is part of a divide and conquer strategy, in the same vein as Tel Aviv’s previous support for Hamas as a counterweight to Fatah.
The Sky team followed the movements and activities of Abu Shabab and his men for months. The militia operates from a largely intact area of southern Gaza where there are “ample supplies of food, medical facilities, a school and even a mosque,” Sky reported.
