New Battle in Gaza: Hamas and Islamic Jihad Move Against Shin Bet-Backed Gang Militias
Resistance forces confront Israeli-linked armed groups seeking to carve out autonomous zones in post-ceasefire Gaza
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM – A new front has opened in Gaza following the ceasefire with the Israeli occupation, as Palestinian Resistance forces – primarily Hamas and Islamic Jihad – engage in a decisive campaign against armed gangs reportedly supported and directed by Israel’s Shin Bet.
These groups are attempting to establish autonomous enclaves within Gaza to undermine Resistance governance and impose a new reality aligned with Israeli interests.
Reports indicate that only hours after Israeli forces withdrew from densely populated areas of the Strip, Israel-backed militias began assassinating Palestinians and clashing with Resistance fighters in an effort to force a post-war power shift inside Gaza.
Shin Bet’s Strategy: Fragmenting Gaza from Within
According to Palestinian sources, Israel’s security apparatus – particularly Shin Bet – aims to hand over control of certain areas in Gaza to tribal-based militias and criminal factions. This strategy seeks to gradually strip Hamas of its civil and security control, creating lawless zones beyond the reach of the Resistance.
In response, Resistance factions have launched an organized crackdown to prevent these groups from exploiting the transitional period following the war to entrench their influence.
Resistance Offers Amnesty Before Striking Back
In an initial effort to reduce internal tensions, Hamas authorities announced an “open door for repentance and general amnesty” for members of these gangs who had not participated in killings.
Individuals were given an opportunity to surrender to Gaza’s security services, resolve their legal status, and permanently close their files.
However, this leniency did not extend to those engaged in murder, collaboration with Israel, or the looting of humanitarian aid. Armed groups were given one week to turn themselves in or face forceful intervention.
Major Security Operations and Arrests
A senior Palestinian security official in Gaza confirmed to Arabi Post that after a series of major security operations – involving fierce clashes – at least 60 armed collaborators were arrested.
Several were killed in the confrontations, particularly those accused of executing displaced civilians and aiding Israeli forces.
Another official told Al Jazeera that security units dismantled a heavily armed gang belonging to a local tribe in Gaza City. The operation resulted in the killing of 32 gang members, wounding 30 others, and the arrest of 24. All their weapons were seized. Six Palestinian security personnel were martyred during the mission.
Unified Resistance Front Against Israeli-Backed Chaos
Israeli journalist Shlomi Diaz of the Hebrew website Hedabroot reported that all major Resistance factions – including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front – are participating in this campaign.
These gangs are accused of betraying fighters, exposing operational positions to the occupation, stealing weapons, and spreading lawlessness among the population.
Assassination of Palestinian Figures
The militias’ activities escalated with the kidnapping and assassination of Saleh al-Jaafrawi, a well-known Palestinian journalist and activist. Al-Jaafrawi had been documenting the vast destruction in southern Gaza after the occupation’s withdrawal.
Identified by local reporters, he was abducted by a tribal gang, taken near the Jordanian field hospital, and executed by gunfire.
Al-Jaafrawi was instrumental in organizing a fundraising campaign that collected $10 million to rebuild the Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital in central Gaza.
Just one day prior, the same gangs assassinated Mohammad Aql, a field commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and cousin of senior commander Imad Aql – who had been hunted by Israeli forces for over 700 days during the war.
Names and Areas of Militia Activity
According to Israel Hayom, these gangs operate under figures such as Yasser Abu Shabab, Hossam al-Astal, Rami Helis, Ghassan al-Dihani, and Ashraf al-Mansi in both northern and southern Gaza.
A Channel 14 correspondent claimed that Israeli occupation forces formed five such paramilitary groups in various sectors of the Strip, intending to create confined zones controlled by local elements as counterweights to Hamas.
Eli Leon of Maariv reported that these gangs are primarily active in locations Israel plans to exclude from the first phase of withdrawal under ceasefire maps – particularly east of Rafah and Khan Younis, and parts of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun in the north. These areas fall outside both the so-called “yellow line” and even the “red line” in Israeli mapping.
Preserving Full Palestinian Sovereignty in Gaza
For the Resistance, preventing the rise of these criminal enclaves is central to preserving full sovereignty over Gaza – the very cornerstone of their declared victory after two years of war.
Conversely, Shin Bet seeks to exploit any fatigue in Israeli ground forces by outsourcing future conflict to local proxies and mercenaries.
As this internal struggle unfolds, Gaza finds itself in a new phase of resistance – not only against the occupation at its borders, but against those who seek to serve it from within. (PW)