Israel is reportedly transferring weapons to “ISIS-linked” militia clans in Gaza to assist in the fight against Hamas.
The policy was questioned in the Knesset by Yisrael Beiteinu MK Avigdor Lieberman, a former finance and defence minister, and has apparently been confirmed by Israel’s Channel 12.
Now a senior figure in the Opposition, Lieberman accused the IDF of arming “crime families” in the Strip with the approval of prime minister Netanyahu.
He told Kan: “Israel has provided assault rifles and light weapons to crime families in Gaza, on Netanyahu's orders.
"The weapons are being transferred to criminals and offenders and are being directed at Israel.
"In my opinion, it did not pass cabinet approval... We're talking about the equivalent of Isis in Gaza.”
And, according to Channel 12’s Amit Segal, Lieberman was “correct” in his allegations. The Prime Minister’s Office reportedly failed to deny the claims when asked, saying only: “Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment.”
Segal added that Israel “now assists Gazan groups in at least two areas of the Strip”, which he described as “ISIS-linked clans”.
The policy was, he reported, a “project of the Shin Bet and its head, coordinated and approved by the prime minister, defence minister and IDF chief of staff.
While both outwardly Sunni Islamist groups, ISIS and its affiliates have a poor relationship with Hamas, largely due to the latter’s willingness to work with the Shi’ite regime in Iran – and its proxies Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The reports come after it was separately reported that the coalition had secretly set aside NIS 700 million to fund the new aid distribution scheme in Gaza, which is supposed to be run by a private American company without direct Israeli influence.
A Kan report, citing unnamed government officials, claimed the large sum of money was diverted to an unclear source obliquely referred to as “the defence establishment”.
Furthermore, it is alleged that the government tried to keep the transfer of funds a secret due to the fact it would be highly unpopular with the Israeli public, particularly its hard-right voter base.
The coalition has denied the reports, insisting: “The State of Israel is not funding humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
