Occupied al-Quds- Saba:
Israeli media revealed Monday evening that the "militia" armed by Israel inside the Gaza Strip has begun attempting to recruit Palestinians in the areas it controls south of Rafah, with the aim of forming administrative committees to manage those areas.
According to the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Yasser Abu Shabab, who is presented as the leader of the Israeli-backed militia, called on Gaza residents to volunteer for these administrative committees in a post on his Facebook account.
The militia, according to his claims, operates to oppose Hamas and provide civilian services such as distributing aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Court of Justice, acknowledged last Thursday the arming of local militias in Gaza, allegedly for use against Hamas.
This followed previous statements by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who strongly criticized the move, describing these militia members as "a group of criminals and outlaws belonging to ISIS.
In the same context, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that these militias "engage in smuggling and extortion and do not care about the Palestinian cause.
The newspaper noted that their leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, a 32-year-old Bedouin from Rafah, "is known for looting UN trucks last year and reselling humanitarian aid.
For its part, Hamas described these groups as "gangs that have practiced treason and theft," asserting that they "operate under direct Zionist security supervision," and warning that these militias constitute "a real enemy of our Palestinian people," according to a statement issued by the movement.
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