Part 8/11:
By arming the Popular Forces, Netanyahu aims to create a post-Hamas infrastructure that can provide basic security and aid—areas where Hamas has been accused of failing or obstructing. This move is part of a broader Israeli attempt to undermine Hamas’s influence and establish viable alternatives that can deliver stability.
However, the decision has raised eyebrows and prompted accusations from Hamas. The group has accused Abu Shabbab’s militants of looting aid convoys and, intriguingly, suspicions are growing that Abu Shabbab might be working closely with Israel—a notion that, if true, could dramatically alter the ongoing conflict’s dynamics.