Gaza Herald _In a rare and striking acknowledgment, a former senior Israeli intelligence official has described armed groups cooperating with Israeli forces in Gaza as being made up of individuals with criminal backgrounds, including drug dealers and other offenders. The remarks have renewed scrutiny over Israel’s reported reliance on local militias operating inside the besieged Palestinian territory.
“No One Among Them Is Suitable”
Oded Eilam, the former head of the Intelligence Division at Israel’s Mossad spy agency, said in a media interview that the militias working alongside Israeli forces in Gaza include individuals involved in criminal activities. According to Eilam, Israeli authorities are operating under difficult security and battlefield conditions and are unable to be fully selective about the actors they engage with on the ground.
He reportedly stated that most members of these groups are unreliable, adding that “none of them are suitable,” while arguing that Israeli authorities have turned to available local actors because of a lack of alternatives amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Operating in a Complex Environment
Eilam said the security reality in Gaza forces intelligence agencies to make rapid decisions despite the risks and challenges involved. His comments offer an unusual glimpse into the calculations behind Israel’s reported cooperation with armed local groups during the conflict.
The statements come as accusations continue to mount that Israeli forces have relied on local armed factions to carry out field operations inside Gaza, including activities aimed at spreading instability and weakening existing security and social structures without exposing Israeli troops to additional risks.
Allegations of Expanding Proxy Networks
According to widely circulated reports, Israeli forces have intensified attacks on security headquarters and deployment points belonging to Gaza’s security apparatus over recent months. Critics argue that such operations have helped create conditions for the expansion of armed groups accused of collaborating with the occupation inside residential areas.
The same reports claim that Israel began increasingly relying on these groups several months after the outbreak of the war in October 2023. Individuals allegedly recruited into these networks reportedly included people previously accused of collaboration with Israeli authorities, as well as others linked to drug trafficking and drug-related offenses.
Growing Questions
Eilam’s remarks are likely to fuel further debate over the role of Israeli-backed militias in Gaza and the long-term consequences of relying on armed groups with controversial backgrounds. Human rights advocates and Palestinian observers have repeatedly warned that empowering such actors risks deepening social fragmentation and instability in a territory already devastated by months of war.
