{"id":505436,"date":"2026-06-22T13:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/505436\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:00:18","slug":"backed-and-armed-by-israel-gaza-militias-talk-big-but-make-little-headway-against-hamas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/505436\/","title":{"rendered":"Backed and armed by Israel, Gaza militias talk big but make little headway against Hamas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late last month, an anti-Hamas militia in Gaza published<\/a> footage on Facebook showing one of its operatives using a several-meter-long drone, seemingly marking the first known public documentation of one of Gaza\u2019s militias using a military-grade UAV.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe People\u2019s Army led by Ashraf al-Mansi announces the successful introduction of several drones into service,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaj. Gen. Ghassan Dehini has already announced the successful execution of several operations using them,\u201d the announcement crowed, referring to the leader of another militia who is seen as the unofficial leader of the entire network of armed groups.<\/p>\n

For the past year, Israel has provided<\/a> groups like The People\u2019s Army with weapons<\/a>, air support<\/a>, intelligence, food, and cigarettes, and has airlifted wounded militia members into Israel for medical care. It has also provided them with light weapons, largely rifles, but the video showed the militias may now be receiving more sophisticated arms as well.<\/p>\n

A year after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first acknowledged<\/a> that Israel was arming militias in Gaza, much about Jerusalem\u2019s backing for the array of small armed groups operating in defiance of Hamas, including criminal gangs, remains vague and opaque, including what strategy, if any, Israel is pursuing.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
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\u201cGaza has become the capital of Israeli fantasies. And that includes the operation of these militias,\u201d said Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs and a longtime critic of the idea of backing the armed groups.<\/p>\n

In the year since Netanyahu\u2019s announcement, the Israeli government has largely avoided publicly addressing the issue, and the IDF has repeatedly declined to answer questions about the militias\u2019 activities.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the militias themselves have increasingly publicized their activities on social media, providing a limited window into Israel\u2019s Gazan allies.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAn operative from the militia led by Ashraf al-Mansi in northern Gaza operates a heavy drone, May 2026. (Ashraf al-Mansi\u2019s Facebook page)<\/p>\n

Footage and statements released by the groups point to forces numbering at most a few hundred armed men. Their operations appear sporadic but ongoing, involving clashes with Hamas alongside efforts aimed at boosting their popularity among Gaza residents, such as distributing food ahead of Muslim holidays.<\/p>\n

The militias do not appear to have posed any major challenge to Hamas\u2019s continuing rule in populated parts of Gaza, and their broader operational goals remain unclear.<\/p>\n

The IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit declined to answer The Times of Israel\u2019s questions about the militias, including whether the drones were supplied by Israel, as is widely suspected. The Prime Minister\u2019s Office did not respond to requests for comment on the militias\u2019 ties to Israel. The Defense Ministry referred questions to the IDF.<\/p>\n

Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University\u2019s Moshe Dayan Center, told The Times of Israel that giving the groups UAVs was a major mistake and liable to backfire.<\/p>\n

The militias \u201cwill eventually turn to terrorism themselves, or Hamas will get its hands on the drones and use them against us,\u201d he predicted.<\/p>\n

Many groups, few civilians<\/p>\n

According to Milshtein, who studies Gaza closely and remains in contact with residents there, the militias have had little meaningful impact on the situation in the Strip, beyond damaging Israel\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFighters from the militia led by Ghassan Dehini operating in the Rafah area of Gaza, May 2026. (Screenshot: Facebook, the official page of the \u201cCounter-Terrorism Apparatus\u201d militia)<\/p>\n

Michael Barak, a senior researcher at Reichman University\u2019s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, agreed that the militias had had little tangible impact in Gaza over the past year.<\/p>\n

However, he argued that the groups provided value to the IDF as an allied force willing to work with it against Hamas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for us as long as there is a Gazan population willing to cooperate with Israel, clear areas of mines or Hamas operatives,\u201d he told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

There appear to be five separate armed militias active in Gaza, based on social media posts. The groups, all of which were established between April and September 2025, are based in areas under Israel Defense Forces control, though they occasionally launch operations, including armed raids, into areas controlled by Hamas.<\/p>\n

Some of the groups have previously said they were seeking to set up enclaves where civilians would live under their protection, free from Hamas.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tDisplaced Palestinians are seen near their tents in Gaza City, June 1, 2026. (Ali Hassan\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

In practice, however, nearly all of Gaza\u2019s approximately 2 million residents live in the 40 percent of the enclave where Hamas continues to exercise governing power.<\/p>\n

Last year, a senior member of the al-Shabab militia told The Times of Israel that about 5,000 civilians were living under the group\u2019s protection in an area east of Rafah.<\/p>\n

With the IDF barring Gazan civilians from crossing the Yellow Line demarcating the de facto border of the area controlled by Hamas, Palestinians have no way to reach the militia-controlled zones even if they wanted to.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Palestinian street today does not want Hamas,\u201d said Hussam al-Astal, who leads a militia operating east of Khan Younis. \u201cPeople are exhausted from all of this, they do not want Hamas anymore, people want to live. Thousands are telling us they are waiting for the IDF to tell them they can move into the Yellow Line areas because they want to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Milshtein said that Gazans he spoke with expressed hostility toward militia members.<\/p>\n

Gazans living in areas of the enclave under Hamas rule have also told The Times of Israel they do not support the groups, though it is impossible to know if their comments are skewed by Hamas repression of public dissent.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIllustrative: Armed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad greet people gathering for Eid al-Fitr prayers in Gaza City, March 20, 2026. (AP\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

Saif Odeh, a resident of Gaza City, told The Times of Israel in May that the groups would not help Israeli authorities build trust with Gaza\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe militias in Gaza are something all factions oppose \u2014 both Fatah and Hamas,\u201d he said, seemingly referencing the idea that the armed gangs were not representative of Palestinian national interests.<\/p>\n

Al-Astal previously told<\/a> The Times of Israel that the militias hope to become part of a \u201cnew Gaza\u201d rebuilt after the Hamas era. Plans for Gaza\u2019s rehabilitation under US President Donald Trump\u2019s 20-point ceasefire proposal, which does not include the militias, are currently stuck due to Hamas\u2019s refusal to disarm.<\/p>\n

Much of the militias\u2019 activity on social media appears aimed at conveying the message that Hamas is weak and that Gazans support the armed groups, who are acting on their behalf.<\/p>\n

In the days leading up to Eid al-Adha, one of the two major Muslim holidays, several militias published videos showing members distributing sweets to children <\/a>and\u00a0preparing aid packages<\/a>. The videos showed both children and adults praising the militias.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tYasser Abu Shabab (right) and members of his group in Gaza are seen in an undated video posted by the group. (screen capture: Facebook, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)<\/p>\n

In footage<\/a> published by al-Mansi\u2019s militia from what it described as a \u201clogistics center\u201d for humanitarian aid, products bearing Hebrew labels from Israeli companies could be seen, including Elite-branded Nescafe and Materna baby formula \u2014 suggesting the supplies originated in Israel.<\/p>\n

Yet there are also allegations that the groups have been used by Israel to force civilians from their homes in areas being taken over by the IDF, which has been ordered by Netanyahu to expand its control to 70% of Gaza.<\/p>\n

According to reports, the al-Shabab clan, the oldest and largest militia and today headed by Dehini, is used by Israel to secure passage for Gazan civilians entering from Egypt via the Rafah Crossing and transiting through IDF-controlled territory into the part of the enclave controlled by Hamas.<\/p>\n

Milshtein said Gazans who spoke to him after making the journey described harsh treatment by militia members, including sexual harassment, theft and beatings.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tMembers of a Gaza militia alongside children, May 2026. (Facebook page of the \u201cCounter-Terrorism Apparatus\u201d)<\/p>\n

Further damaging the Gazan public\u2019s perception of the militias has been an influence campaign by Hamas portraying the groups as ineffective and destined to collapse sooner or later, Barak said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHamas has Telegram channels where it claims to have infiltrated the militias with agents and showcases militia members who supposedly repented and abandoned the groups,\u201d Barak told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

None of the militia leaders currently operating in Gaza were previously well-known or widely respected figures in Palestinian society. Yasser Abu Shabab, who led the eponymous militia before being killed in an internal dispute, was previously accused of criminal activity, including smuggling and looting, and allegedly had past ties to the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is completely clear that we took the bottom tier of Palestinian society,\u201d Milshtein alleged. \u201cPeople who are criminals, dubious figures, involved in terrorism against Israel \u2014 under the belief that they could become an alternative to Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Militias from north to south<\/p>\n

Al-Astal, whose militia operates east of Khan Younis, told The Times of Israel that each group has its own home territory, but they work together and regularly communicate with each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cRelations between us are good and there is ongoing contact,\u201d he said by phone from Gaza. \u201cThere is coordination on all needs, including with regard to the media.\u201d<\/p>\n

A review of Facebook pages maintained by the militias and their commanders indeed shows that the groups frequently amplify each other\u2019s statements and activities.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAshraf al-Mansi, who heads a militia operating in northern Gaza, May 2026. (Ashraf al-Mansi\u2019s Facebook page)<\/p>\n

The militias have never publicly declared a clear long-term objective, though they are all focused on fighting Hamas and seeking to end its rule over Gaza.<\/p>\n

When asked by The Times of Israel about the militias\u2019 goals and the progress of the fight against Hamas, al-Astal largely avoided the question, saying only that Hamas had weakened and was now composed of \u201csmall groups operating on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

On May 21, al-Mansi posted on Facebook that \u201cwe will neither eat nor rest until Gaza is liberated, area by area\u201d from Hamas.<\/p>\n

On May 25, his group, which operates mainly in northern Gaza, published footage<\/a> on Facebook showing several dozen masked gunmen gathered at Sudania Beach in northwestern Gaza, declaring, \u201cThere are no Hamas members here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sudania Beach lies on the Hamas-controlled side of the Yellow Line, though the video appeared to be taken in an area near the Israeli line of control.<\/p>\n

Other videos show al-Mansi, about whom little is known, driving a jeep alongside armed men through areas filled with heavily destroyed buildings and relatively empty streets. The commander \u201cpledged continued efforts to consolidate security, stability, protect citizens and strengthen the rule of law,\u201d the group wrote in one video showing him touring an area seemingly devoid of citizens.<\/p>\n

Another militia operating in northern Gaza is led by Rami Khalas, a member of a large, well-known family who is reportedly affiliated with Hamas rival Fatah.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThe militia of Ashraf al-Mansi in the northern Gaza Strip, October 4, 2025. (Screenshot: Facebook, clausa 27a of the copyright law)<\/p>\n

According to reports, members of the Khalas clan were among several dozen people executed by Hamas<\/a> in Gaza City shortly after the ceasefire with Israel took effect in October.<\/p>\n

The group has become less active on social media in recent months, though on May 5, Khalas called<\/a> on residents of Gaza City to come to humanitarian aid distribution points run by the militia, suggesting the group is still operational.<\/p>\n

The heads of some of the groups have also been linked to the Palestinian Authority, the Fatah-dominated body ousted from Gaza by Hamas in a bloody 2007 coup.<\/p>\n

According to reports, Shawqi Abu Nuseira, who runs the Free Homeland Forces militia in the central Gaza Strip, was an officer in the PA\u2019s security forces before Hamas seized control.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s social media posts suggest it operates between the Deir al-Balah area in the central Strip and Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.<\/p>\n

Al-Astal<\/a> has said that he served in the PA security forces in Gaza, and was imprisoned and sentenced to death after Hamas took over because of his support for the PA.<\/p>\n

He previously told The Times of Israel that the militia, consisting of several dozen armed men, was based in the village of Qizan al-Najjar, south of Khan Younis, an area currently situated near the Yellow Line and likely under IDF control.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tGhassan Dehini (right), who leads a militia in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, alongside armed members of his militia, May 2026. (Ghassan Dehini\u2019s Facebook page)<\/p>\n

The most organized group, al-Shabab which was led by al-Shabab<\/a> before he was killed<\/a>, according to Israel, in a December clan feud, is now led by his deputy Dehini.<\/p>\n

The militia, known as the Counter-Terrorism Apparatus or the Popular Forces, is also thought to be the largest of the groups, with reports estimating the group\u2019s size at anywhere from several dozen to a few hundred gunmen. In videos, Dehini is often seen alongside dozens of armed fighters, who at times wear uniforms bearing the Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n

The group operates east of Rafah and near the Rafah crossing.<\/p>\n

On May 26, Dehini published a video<\/a> on his Facebook page showing several dozen armed men patrolling in jeeps with a border fence visible in the background. Weeks earlier, Dehini published footage<\/a> showing himself and several militia members in civilian clothes, tagging the location as the Rafah Crossing. The post confirmed earlier Israeli reports<\/a> that Dehini\u2019s group was participating in security arrangements on the Gaza side of the crossing.<\/p>\n

On the ground, the militias occasionally engage in clashes with Hamas operatives. The confrontations publicized so far have taken place in areas on the Hamas-controlled side of the line and, according to the militias, were mostly initiated by Hamas.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tHossam al-Astal (center) is seen surrounded by armed members of his group, \u2018Strike Force Against Terror,\u2019 in an undated picture from the Gaza Strip posted on Facebook. (Courtesy: Hossam al-Astal via Facebook)<\/p>\n

On April 20, al-Astal told The Times of Israel that while members of his militia were distributing food to residents in Khan Younis, Hamas operatives attacked them and killed one of the group\u2019s members.<\/p>\n

He described a similar incident on May 6, saying Hamas operatives attacked the militia in Musa Square in Khan Younis while they were assisting civilians. In a video<\/a> filmed afterward, al-Astal claimed the militia members were unharmed and had shot two Hamas operatives dead and seized their weapons.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Hamas-affiliated media outlets claimed the incident was a planned ambush carried out by Hamas against the militia, during which \u201cthree Israeli agents\u201d were killed \u2014 apparently referring to militia members cooperating with Israel.<\/p>\n

At least some of the militias are built around the network of powerful extended families that continue to wield authority on a local level in parts of Gaza. Hamas, which coordinates with many of the enclave\u2019s clans, including those linked to some of the militias working with Israel, has attempted to use these ties to pressure militia members to disband, Barak said.<\/p>\n

Among them, he noted, is that of al-Astal.<\/p>\n

Collaboration questions<\/p>\n

Al-Astal acknowledged that the militias operate in coordination with the IDF, but declined to elaborate further.<\/p>\n

During a media tour organized by the military last year, IDF combat officers operating in the Rafah area were unable to comment on the anti-Hamas militias in their area, saying they were only aware of their presence and location. Coordination between the militias and Israel is reportedly handled by the Shin Bet security agency.<\/p>\n

The IDF and Shin Bet declined to comment on the matter.<\/p>\n

Hamas-affiliated media reports on May 14 suggested that the militias were helping the IDF deal with civilians as the army expanded its zone of control inside Gaza, taking over areas where Palestinian civilians had been living under Hamas rule.<\/p>\n

One unusual activity documented recently has been the militias\u2019 involvement in evacuating civilians, reportedly under IDF instructions.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraeli soldiers at a military position overlooking the so-called Yellow Line in the central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP\/Ariel Schalit)<\/p>\n

According to the reports, militias cooperating with Israel had forced residents to evacuate areas near Deir al-Balah, close to the Yellow Line, for unclear reasons.<\/p>\n

On the same day, a video<\/a> published by Abu Nuseira\u2019s militia showed him briefing armed men, alongside text blaming civilians\u2019 suffering on Hamas\u2019s refusal to cede\u00a0 the enclave to transitional authorities as laid out in the Trump plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not want to expel them, we are with them,\u201d Abu Nuseira tells the armed men in the video, referring to Gazan civilians. \u201cThis is a message we are conveying from the Israeli side, that people should evacuate the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the gunmen responds that residents understand this, while the armed men chant: \u201cDeath to Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel has not officially commented on the evacuations, and the IDF declined to address the issue in response to questions from The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

Milshtein criticized the strategy of taking over more territory, noting that it was pushing civilians to crowd into Hamas\u2019s shrinking area of control, rather than bringing more Gazans into the expanding territory where the IDF and the militias hold sway.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tArmed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad greet people gathering for Eid al-Fitr prayers in Gaza City, March 20, 2026. (AP\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

According to Milshtein, Israel has pursued a strategy of working with anti-Hamas groups in Gaza since early 2024, but the effort has been marked by repeated failures.<\/p>\n

Initial attempts appear to have involved establishing contact with the Durmush clan in an effort to explore whether it could serve as a governing alternative to Hamas. Several senior members of the clan were later executed, a development that only became public months afterward through Arab media reports.<\/p>\n

In March 2024, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that efforts to enlist Gaza clans as an alternative governing force had largely failed. According to the report, many clans rejected proposals to take responsibility for securing specific geographic areas of the Strip out of concern that doing so would bring them into conflict with Hamas forces that remained active.<\/p>\n

In June 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to disclose the project, telling Channel 14 that Israel had tried several months earlier to empower clans that would replace Hamas rule, but that Hamas had killed the clan members involved.<\/p>\n

Milshtein said the lack of transparency over the project had precluded any official accounting of the use of militias in Gaza, and stymied meaningful public debate over the strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one stops and asks where all this nonsense is heading,\u201d he said. \u201cIs it helping? Is it harmful? Should it be changed or canceled? For two years there has been no review of this entire affair \u2014 not by the Shin Bet, not by the IDF. There is no review, and when there is no review, mistakes get repeated again and again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Late last month, an anti-Hamas militia in Gaza published footage on Facebook showing one of its operatives using…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[191279,69,85,46,89041,43,29099],"class_list":["post-505436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-2023-2025-israel-hamas-war","tag-gaza-strip","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-militias","tag-news","tag-yasser-abu-shabab"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}