DaysofPal- An upcoming Al Jazeera investigation proves that armed groups operating in the Gaza Strip are collaborating with Israeli forces, serving as local agents during the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on the territory.
The documentary, part of Al Jazeera’s investigative programme What Is Hidden Is Greater, is authored by journalist Tamer Almisshal and is scheduled to air on Friday.
According to the network, the report presents audio and video evidence detailing how individuals inside Gaza were recruited, trained, and deployed.
The investigation names several armed factions and traces their movements and training sites, asserting that these groups have been able to operate freely across Gaza, including within restricted zones controlled by the Israeli occupation forces.
Central to the findings is the claim that these armed groups have moved between northern and southern Gaza behind the so-called yellow line, a buffer zone established by Israel under the first phase of a ceasefire that took effect in October. Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli occupation has carried out near-daily attacks, killing more than 525 Palestinians, according to the report.
Israeli military maps reportedly show the buffer zone extending between 1.5 km and 6.5 km inside Gaza from the eastern border, encompassing approximately 58 percent of the enclave.
The documentary says the groups face growing accusations of collaboration with the Israeli occupation, particularly for operating in areas barred to Palestinian civilians under the ceasefire agreement. Some of the accused factions have publicly denied the allegations.
In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the Israeli occupation was working with armed groups in Gaza as part of its campaign against Hamas.
He said the government had “activated” influential local clans on the advice of security officials.
Additional testimony cited in the investigation includes an account from a Palestinian woman who crossed into Gaza through the partially reopened Rafah crossing. Speaking to Reuters, she said she and other women were stopped at a checkpoint manned by Palestinian gunmen backed by the Israeli occupation, who identified themselves as members of the Popular Forces, also known as the Abu Shabab militia.
According to her account, the women’s names were called out over loudspeakers before they were escorted to a security area where Israeli forces were present. She said they were subjected to body searches, blindfolded, handcuffed, and questioned about the Hamas-led October 7 attack.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 71,851 Palestinians and wounded more than 171,000 since October 2023, according to figures cited in the report.
Among the most prominent groups highlighted is the Popular Forces, founded by Yasser Abu Shabab, who was killed in December and later succeeded by Ghassan al-Dahini.
Abu Shabab previously claimed that his fighters helped secure aid convoys heading to US- and Israel-backed aid distribution centers operated by the Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation (GHF). The foundation has drawn widespread criticism for bypassing established UN aid mechanisms and for deadly incidents at or near its distribution sites involving Israeli forces and private security contractors.
While Israeli occupation has accused Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid, claims rejected by aid organisations, the Al Jazeera investigation alleges that the Popular Forces were involved in looting aid and reselling it to Gaza’s civilian population. Hamas has reportedly clashed with the group multiple times since September 2024, accusing it of collaborating with the Israeli occupation.
The report also stated that the Israeli support for another armed faction known as the Strike Force Against Terror, led by Hussam al-Astal. Video evidence cited in the investigation shows members of the group operating in restricted areas of Khan Younis.
Al-Astal is a former officer in the Palestinian Authority’s security forces and was previously accused by both the PA and Hamas of collaborating with the Israeli occupation during the 1990s.
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