Israel has been arming a criminal gang of jihadists in the Gaza Strip as part of an effort to strengthen opposition to Hamas in the enclave, defense sources confirmed on Thursday following remarks on the matter by former defense minister Avigdor Liberman.

Liberman, who heads the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, told the Kan public broadcaster on Thursday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had unilaterally approved the transfer of weapons to the Abu Shabab clan, an armed gang or militia that is opposed to Hamas’s rule in the Gaza Strip.

“The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister,” Liberman charged. “To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet.”

He claimed that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was aware of the decision to arm the group, “but I don’t know how much the IDF chief of staff was in on it.”

The group in question, which is sometimes described as a militia and sometimes as a criminal gang, is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of a large clan in southern Gaza.

His gang has been documented in recent days operating in an area near the Kerem Shalom border crossing under Israeli military control.

In the footage, which was published online by Abu Shabab, members of the group can be seen wearing military-style uniforms with the Palestinian flag and the words “Counter-Terrorism Mechanism” emblazoned on them.

The Prime Minister’s Office, in response to Liberman’s comments, did not deny the allegations but said instead that Israel was “working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on the recommendations of all the heads of the security establishment.”

Liberman’s accusation was later confirmed by defense officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and the details were cleared for publication by the Israeli military censor.

The sources confirmed that Israel has been arming the gang with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that were seized from Hamas during the ongoing war.

The decision to start arming the group was made without the approval of Israel’s security cabinet, forgoing normal procedure. It was instead led by Israeli security bodies, with Netanyahu’s approval, the defense sources said.

The militia has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control. Abu Shabab has claimed to be securing the humanitarian aid convoys entering Israel through the southern border crossings, although others have accused his gang of looting them.

The clan has caught Hamas’s attention. On May 30, Hamas published an official video on May 30 showing a group of armed, masked men operating outside a building before being blown up.

The terror group claimed the group in the video was working with the IDF to inspect buildings before Israeli troops moved in, without specifying whether they were Israeli or Palestinian. However, online comparisons to previous images of Abu Shabab’s gang suggested it was the same group.

In a conversation with Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper earlier this week, anonymous Hamas sources shared more information about the group, which they admitted has been a thorn in their side.

According to the sources, the militia comprises some 300 people, of whom Abu Shabab personally recruited around 50. They alleged that the remaining 250 members were recruited through the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence service.

The Hamas sources did not offer proof of Abu Shabab’s alleged ties to the Ramallah-based PA, and Al-Akhbar did not verify any of the terror group’s claims.

The group emerged in Rafah in May 2024, following the IDF invasion of the Strip’s southernmost city, the Hamas sources said. They told Al-Akhbar that the Al-Qassam Brigades have “already started carrying out direct assassinations” against members of Abu Shabab’s gang, and that its continued existence has fast become a “central issue” for the terror group.

According to the sources, some members of the group belong to an extremist Salafi faction that had run-ins with Hamas prior to the war as well.

This is not the first time that Netanyahu has been involved in or accused of propping up burgeoning militias and terror groups to undermine a common enemy.

Various reports over the years have indicated that Israel’s policy under Netanyahu was to treat Hamas as an asset that could be used to weaken the Palestinian Authority.

The premier reportedly told a Likud faction meeting back in 2019 that anyone who opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state should support sending funds to Hamas, the enemy of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made a similar claim in an interview in 2015.

Amid the outrage generated by Liberman’s revelation on Thursday, the left-wing The Democrats leader Yair Golan pointed out the pattern of behavior.

“Netanyahu, who transferred billions to Hamas in suitcases full of cash, based on the incorrect belief that Hamas is an ‘asset,’ is now promoting a new dangerous concept: Arming a Gazan militia with ties to ISIS,” the politician wrote on X.

“Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel’s security,” he charged. “This is not a mistake. This is systematic. Netanyahu is selling Israel’s security for another day in office.”