Israel is providing weapons to a Jihadist group in the Gaza Strip affiliated with ISIS, the country’s former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has claimed.
In an interview with Kan Bet radio, Lieberman said that the Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to establish a rival armed force to Hamas in Gaza.
The new militia is linked to a man identifying himself as Yasser Abu Shabab, and video circulating online shows armed Palestinians in Gaza wearing military gear, including vests and helmets with a patch labeled “Anti-Terror Service” in both English and Arabic.
Abu Shabab comes from a large Bedouin clan in southern Gaza which has alleged ties to ISIS.
His brother is said to have been killed by Hamas during a crackdown against the group’s attacks on UN aid convoys.
“The Hamasha clan are in essence lawless criminals who in recent years wanted to give themselves an ideological angle or spin, so they became Salafi [jihadists] and began identifying with ISIS,” lawmaker Lieberman said in the interview.
He claimed Israel is providing this clan with light weapons and assault rifles, adding that, “Ultimately, these weapons will be turned against us.”
Responding to the allegations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said: “Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment.”
