Gaza Herald — An investigation published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reveals that the Israeli military and the Shin Bet intelligence service are actively arming, training, and funding criminal gangs, drug dealers, and mercenary militias to act as proxy forces inside the Gaza Strip. Drawing on testimonies from Israeli soldiers, UN documentation, and satellite imagery, the report highlights an Israeli strategy to enforce its occupation by engineering social collapse, orchestrating war crimes, and terrorizing Palestinian civilians.
Key Findings of the Investigation
State-Sponsored Proxies: Israel has established and trained at least five distinct militia groups, with a sixth currently being formed, operating out of fortified military bases built by the Israeli military deep within occupied Gaza.
Systematic Destruction and Looting: Israeli soldiers admitted that their forces are deployed to actively guard these criminal gangs as they expel Palestinians from their homes, murder civilians, loot humanitarian aid, and burn down residential neighborhoods.
Desecration of Cultural Sites: The Israeli military cleared land for these militias by demolishing a major Palestinian cemetery in Shujaiya to construct dedicated military training grounds for proxy forces.
Collusion with Extremist Elements: Israel previously armed and protected Yasser Abu Shabab, a notorious drug trafficker and ISIS-linked warlord who orchestrated the systematic looting of food convoys meant for Gaza’s starving population. Prior to his death in December 2025, Abu Shabab was publicly disowned by his own family and Bedouin tribe for committing high treason.
Continued Proxy Operations: Despite the death of Abu Shabab, Israel has expanded the proxy network. Other militia leaders, such as Shawqi Abu Nasira, have openly broadcast videos accepting the label of Israeli collaborators.
Broader Context and Global Implications
The report exposes severe Israeli hypocrisy: while demanding the complete disarmament of Palestinian resistance and blocking any sovereign Palestinian security force in Gaza, Israel is actively turning the region into a landscape of lawlessness and warlordism. Analysts warn that Israel’s deployment of unaccountable, armed proxies to terrorize isolated communities mirrors the conditions that led to the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres.
These revelations add to the overwhelming body of evidence against Israel as it faces genocide charges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alongside International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over documented war crimes and crimes against humanity.
