ISRAELI OCCUPIED AND STARVED GAZA, 13 Nov. - (ANA) - Israel is seeking to grant powers to "gangs" in Gaza accused of looting aid and other criminal activities to dominate post-war policing and reconstruction in the enclave.

 

Two unnamed Israeli sources said members of the Abu Shabab clan would be responsible for securing reconstruction efforts in Rafah, with the prior approval of Israeli authorities, while groups led by Yasser Abu Shabab and Hossam al-Astal are also believed to have been approached.

 

Several armed gangs are already cooperating with Israel and have been deployed to various Israeli-controlled areas in the enclave, the report added, noting that Israel has not yet decided on the future of these groups when the Israeli army fully withdraws from the Strip.

 

An unnamed Palestinian source familiar with the situation said associates of Yasser Abu Shabab, a leader in the anti-Hamas Popular Forces militia, have been in meetings with US officials, the report from Kan added.

 

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner’s recently visited Tel Aviv and was involved in strengthening ties with Palestinian armed gangs who oppose Hamas, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom stated on Wednesday.  

 

The US has also been scoping out the capabilities of the gangs and militias, as well as their areas of influence and control, reports in Israeli media added.

 

The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported that the US is exploring cooperation with armed groups accused of criminality and human rights abuses to transform them into a security force for Gaza, a role which may later expand further.

 

However, the US denied reports in Saudi media that Kushner met with Yasser Abu Shabab.

 

The gangs would first be sent to so-called humanitarian zones being established by Israel in the south and the north of the Strip.

 

Israel claims such armed groups are needed because there are still problems in establishing a multinational force for Gaza, an issue that was discussed in a meeting between Kushner and Netanyahu days earlier.

 

The international task force, headquartered in Kiryat Gat, is in regular contact with several armed clan leaders in Gaza, helping them organise and manage the newly established humanitarian zones, as well as distributing food and supplies, Israeli media reported.

 

Unnamed sources familiar with the communication between leaders state that if the clans prove effective in their current role, they will be granted further authority over larger areas in the Strip.

 

Specific individuals named as clan leaders involved in the plans by Israeli media are Husam al-Astal and Yasser Abu Shabab, although The New Arab could not verify these reports.

 

In October, following the ceasefire announcement, armed clans in Gaza made headlines after confrontations erupted between militants from the Doghmush clan and fighters from Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades.

 

The confrontation broke out after the killing of two al-Qassam fighters near the Jordanian field hospital in Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in west Gaza City, one of them the son of prominent Hamas commander Imad Aqel, local sources said.

 

Since then, Hamas has seen the clans as a direct challenge to its post-war authority.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/13 November 2025 - - -