Latest news with #Kalashnikov
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Netanyahu's big Hamas admission on camera; Israel uniting with ‘pro-ISIS' group in Gaza
Israel's government is under fire for arming the Abu Shabab militia in Gaza to counter Hamas. Opposition leader Avigdor Liberman slams Netanyahu for unilaterally approving the move. The group, linked to smuggling and jihadist networks, is reportedly receiving Kalashnikov rifles seized from Hamas. Is this strategy exposing IDF failures or a secret plan to save soldiers' lives? Watch for exclusive insights and analysis on this controversial decision shaking Israeli politics and the ongoing Gaza conflict.
News18
12 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Netanyahu Confirms Israel Arming Groups Opposed To Hamas In Gaza: 'What's Bad About That'
Last Updated: Israel- Hamas War: Benjamin Netanyahu defended the decision, saying, 'What's wrong with this? It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Tel Aviv is arming factions in Gaza that oppose Hamas, prompting fierce criticism and warnings from former officials as well as defence analysts. It was earlier reported that Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the transfer of weapons to a Gaza-based group led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a controversial figure linked to a local clan in Rafah. In a video posted on social media, Benjamin Netanyahu defended the decision, saying, 'What's wrong with this? It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers. Publicising it only helps Hamas." Defence Officials Confirm Weapons Transfers Reports claimed, citing Israeli defence sources, that the weapons- primarily Kalashnikov rifles, including some seized from Hamas- were provided to the Abu Shabab group with Benjamin Netanyahu's authorisation to the clan which operates in the Rafah area, currently under Israeli military control. Earlier, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and former defence minister, accused Benjamin Netanyahu of bypassing cabinet approval to arm a group of 'criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State group". He said, 'To my knowledge, this did not go through cabinet," adding that the move endangers Israeli national security. Clan Backed By Benjamin Netanyahu Accused of Looting Aid, Ties Denied The armed group, which calls itself the Popular Forces, claims its purpose is to protect humanitarian aid convoys in Gaza. However, reports suggest the faction has instead been looting those convoys. The European Council on Foreign Relations previously labelled Abu Shabab's group a 'criminal gang." Hamas has condemned the group, accusing its members of 'theft and betrayal". Meanwhile, Abu Shabab, in a statement posted online, denied receiving Israeli support, saying, 'Our weapons are simple, outdated, and came through the support of our own people." Benjamin Netanyahu 'Restless'? Former deputy IDF chief and opposition politician Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats party, called the move 'reckless." In a post on X, he wrote, 'Netanyahu is a threat to Israel's national security. Instead of securing a deal to bring home the hostages and ensuring the safety of Israeli citizens, he's creating a new ticking time bomb in Gaza." About the Author First Published:
Middle East Eye
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Netanyahu admits Israel armed Gaza gangs to drive lawlessness
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted his country is arming gangs in Gaza, which have been accused by aid groups of stealing lifesaving humanitarian aid, in a bid to counter the Palestinian movement Hamas. Netanyahu said on Thursday his government had "activated" powerful local clans in the enclave on the advice of "security officials," hours after former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman alleged the gang that Israel was backing was affiliated with the Islamic State group. "We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas… What's wrong with that?' Netanyahu said in a video posted on X. "It's only good. It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers." Hours earlier, Netanyahu's office said that "Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Satellite images and videos seen by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz showed that the gang Israel is backing had expanded its presence in southern Gaza, and was operating inside an area under the direct control of the Israeli army. According to media reports, the gang is reportedly led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity and the looting of humanitarian aid. Abu Shabab's gang, which calls itself the "Anti-Terror Service," is believed to consist of around 100 armed men. The Times of Israel reported on Thursday, citing unnamed defence sources, that Israel had provided members of the gang with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including some weapons seized from Hamas. Hours earlier, Lieberman, an opposition lawmaker, alleged that Abu Shabab's gang was affiliated with the Islamic State group. 'The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister,' Lieberman, who heads the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, told Kan Bet public radio. "To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet." Hamas officials told Reuters that Abu Shabab was wanted for "collaborating with the occupation against his people". The officials said Hamas fighters had killed at least two dozen of Abu Shabab's men before January, after they had allegedly looted aid trucks. Al Jazeera Arabic's Anas al-Sharif reported in early May that Israeli forces attacked shop owners and local Gaza security teams who were attempting to protect shops from looting and chaos. Asaad al-Kafarna, a police officer in Gaza, was killed by Israeli forces near a restaurant on 2 May after pursuing armed looters accused of collaborating with Israel's military. In response to such looting by gangs, a number of influential families in Gaza published statements denouncing the scenes. "These gangs act in alignment with the goals of the occupation," the Madhoun family wrote at the time. In November, an internal UN memo obtained by the Washington Post revealed that gangs 'may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence' or 'protection' from Israeli troops. One such gang leader, according to the memo, established a 'military-like compound' in an area 'restricted, controlled and patrolled' by Israel's military. Commentators have suggested that by backing criminal gangs and targeting members of Gaza's civil administration, Israel was attempting to create a power vacuum and lawlessness. Earlier this month, the Abu Shabab family renounced Yasser over his connections to the Israeli military, saying he and anyone who joined his group "are no longer linked" to the family.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu confirms Israel arming clans opposed to Hamas in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel is arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas. His comments came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to one particular group in the south of Gaza. Several Israeli politicians have accused Netanyahu of endangering Israeli security. "What's wrong with this?" Netanyahu says in a short video he's tweeted. "It only saves the lives of Israeli solders", he continues - "and publicising it only helps Hamas". What the Israeli prime minister is referring to are the reports that Israel under his authorisation has been supplying weapons to a clan in Gaza led by a man called Yasser Abu Shabab. The group, which some see as a militia or a criminal gang, has presented itself as an opposition force to Hamas. It says its aim is to protect trucks bringing aid into Gaza, but critics say it is doing the opposite and is looting them. The revelations may have been brushed off by Benjamin Netanyahu, but they have the potential of developing into a serious new political scandal. Israeli defence sources had earlier confirmed to local journalists that accusations made by the opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman were correct. Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beiteinu party, had told the public broadcaster, Kan, that Netanyahu had unilaterally approved the transfer of weapons to the Abu Shabab clan. "The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State group," Lieberman said. "To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet," he added. Defence sources subsequently confirmed that Israel had been arming the Abu Shabab clan with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that had been seized from Hamas. The clan has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control. However, Yasser Abu Shabab posted online to "categorically reject" that Israel had supplied his group's weapons. "Our weapons are simple, outdated and came through the support of our own people," he said. Hamas sources have said that Abu Shabab's activities have become an issue - with one report in an Arabic newspaper saying that the Hamas armed wing had begun carrying out assassinations of members of the clan. Netanyahu's office said that Israel "was working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on the recommendations of all the heads of the security establishment". Strong criticism of the initiative has come from Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats in the Knesset. In a social media post on X he said: "Netanyahu is a threat to Israel's national security. Instead of bringing about a the hostages home and providing security for Israeli citizens, he is creating a new ticking time-bomb in Gaza". Gaza now worse than hell on earth, humanitarian chief tells BBC US vetoes UN call for unconditional Gaza ceasefire UN calls for investigation into killings near Gaza aid distribution site
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
2 police officers, 4 Taliban militants killed in shootout in PoK: Officials
At last two police officers and four Taliban militants were killed in an overnight shootout in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), officials said on Thursday. The clash followed after the security forces, on a tip-off about the presence of militants, launched an operation in the Hussain Kot forest area in the Rawalakot district of the region. The Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Rawalakot, Riaz Mughal, told the media that the police launched a raid after a tip-off regarding the presence of terrorists in the area. He said that the terrorists were hiding in a cave and were surrounded, but when the police attempted to apprehend them, one of the terrorists hurled a grenade at the officers, prompting retaliatory fire. In the exchange, all four terrorists were neutralised, he said, adding that three were identified as Zarnosh Naseem, his brother Gibran Naseem and Ulfat, while the fourth was unidentified yet. Mughal confirmed that two police officers, Gulzar and Tariq Bashir, were killed in the clash. He said three Kalashnikov rifles, hand grenades, four suicide vests, and several rounds of ammunition were recovered from the site. The regional police chief, Abdul Jabbar, said that the killed militants belonged to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group of rebels linking their origin to Pakistan and lambasted by authorities as Khawarji - an old expression borrowed from the Islamic history and used for a group of extremists who were declared as apostates. It was a rare incident when police killed the TTP militants in PoK. The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007. The group has a strong presence in the tribal region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. Jabbar claimed that the police foiled an effort by the outlawed outfit to set up a base in the region for attacks.
