⚡️NEW: Israel Is Now Operating Three Militias Inside Gaza—With Help From the Palestinian Authority Israel is now working with three separate militias inside Gaza, including two newly revealed Fatah-linked armed groups in Gaza City and Khan Younis—both operating with Israeli assistance and according to Ynet, paid by the Palestinian Authority. ➤ The new groups are led by Rami Khalas in Gaza City and Yasser Khanidek in Khan Yunis. Khalas’s fighters are active in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, while Khanidek’s group operates in southern Gaza—both areas where Israeli forces are deployed under “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” ➤ Ynet reports the Palestinian Authority began paying the fighters’ salaries last month, in advance of Israel’s recent coordination with them. Both groups have long-standing rivalries with Hamas. Khalas’s clan has opposed Hamas since its 2007 takeover. Khanidek’s group is reportedly seeking revenge for the 2007 killing of Salameh Barbakh, a senior officer in the PA’s Preventive Security Forces who was shot by Hamas while fleeing toward the Egyptian border. Barbakh had previously been involved in killing Hamas members and was seen as part of Fatah’s internal anti-Hamas faction. ➤ The Barbakh clan, closely aligned with Khanidek, has reemerged in recent weeks. The same family was linked to armed raids on Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis last week—further suggesting the group’s expanded operational role under Israeli protection. ➤ The Abu Shabab militia—first exposed weeks ago as operating with Israeli backing in Rafah—remains active in the southern “buffer zone.” Around 400 Palestinians have joined, but Ynet reports the group has failed to expand territory or form any real governing authority. ➤ Channel 13 reports that Israel is providing these militias with weapons, vehicles, and logistical support, and tasking them with house raids and combat missions against Hamas. Like Abu Shabab’s “Popular Forces” in the south, the newly revealed militia in northern Gaza has its bases located near Israeli military outposts. This marks the clearest evidence yet of a growing Israeli strategy to fragment Palestinian society from within—using armed collaborators against Hamas amid Israel’s broader efforts to collapse Gaza’s civil and institutional order. 📸 Yasser Khanidek (image 1), Rami Khalas (right) with Abu Shabab’s deputy Rasan al-Dhahini (image 2), Yasser Abu Shabab (image 3).
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