Following a revelation by Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman earlier today (Thursday), that Israel has transferred weapons and ammunition to crime families in the Gaza Strip, the military censor has cleared parts of the covert operation for publication. According to journalist Doron Kadosh, the weapons were delivered to militia members in the Strip\u2014most of them having been seized from Hamas during IDF operations in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister\u2019s Office did not deny the report, and responded:
\n\u201cIsrael is acting to bring about Hamas\u2019s defeat through a range of diverse methods, in accordance with the recommendations of all heads of the security establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s the new player? Abu Shabab, who previously played a central role in smuggling operations along the Egypt-Gaza border, has, amid the war, established a group called the \u2018Counter-Terror Mechanism,\u2019 numbering in the hundreds.<\/p>\n According to Palestinian sources, Hamas arrested him before the war on charges of theft and drug trafficking. He later escaped prison after Hamas\u2019s security headquarters were bombed from the air. Under public pressure, his family in Gaza publicly disowned him last month, declaring complete excommunication after admitting he had been involved in security-related activity benefiting Israel.<\/p>\n The Telegram channel \u201cAl-Mukhabarat\u201d reported that Abu Shabab took advantage of the security chaos in Gaza to establish local control in the al-Shouka area, east of Rafah, where he set up a training camp for his men. The clan\u2019s operatives are heavily armed and operate openly.<\/p>\n Abu Shabab and the \u2018Counter-Terror Mechanism\u2019 \u2013 WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>That title belongs to Yasser Abu Shabab, a native of Rafah and a senior member of the Tarabin clan\u2014the largest Bedouin clan in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n