A Palestinian group opposed to Hamas and tied to ISIS has received support from Israel, its leader now admits.
Yasser Abu Shabab, head of the ISIS-linked Popular Forces, discussed coordinating with Tel Aviv in an interview with Makan, Israel’s Arabic-language public radio broadcaster. “We keep them [Israel] informed, but we carry out the military actions on our own,” he said.
Abu Shabab did not directly state that the Popular Forces receive direct support from Israel. He explained that his organization is supported by a number of parties, and “There are things we can’t talk about publicly.”
Last month, the ties between Abu Shabab and Tel Aviv were exposed by Israeli opposition leader and former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. “The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister,” Liberman said. “To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed Liberman’s accusation, saying the policy saves the lives of Israeli soldiers.
Abu Shabab and his gang have been backed by Israel against Hamas. He said in the interview, adding that he was seeking to eradicate Hamas’s “injustice” and “corruption.” “We will continue to fight, no matter the bloodshed,” Abu Shabab added. “Right now, Hamas is dying. They know their end is near.”
An IDF officer explained to Haaretz, “There are many groups that oppose Hamas – Abu Shabab went several steps further. They control territory that Hamas doesn’t enter, and the IDF encourages that.”
The Popular Forces have admitted to looting aid entering Gaza, although they claimed that they did not steal the food. Abu Shabab’s fighters are also involved in securing aid distribution sites run by the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. IDF officers say some of the Palestinian aid seekers who have been killed and wounded near aid sites were killed by the militant group.
