Gaza clans reject Turkish, Qatari role in postwar force

Anti-Hamas militias say they will act alone to oust the terror group if necessary.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Anti-Hamas militias in the Gaza Strip have rejected any Turkish or Qatari involvement in the planned International Stabilization Force whose mission will be to oversee Hamas’ disarmament, Channel 12 reported Saturday.

Hussam al-Astal, who leads a powerful clan in Khan Yunis, said that Turkey “supports Hamas and protects Hamas,” as does Qatar, and that both countries are “war criminals.”

The most veteran anti-Hamas group, the Rafah-based Popular Forces of Yasser Abu Shabab, echoed al-Astal.

“Turkey is not working for peace; they openly and explicitly support Hamas,” said senior member Rassan al-Dahini.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees with the clans.

Both countries have hosted senior Hamas leaders for years, as they all support the extremist Islamic creed of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Qatar sent billions of dollars in aid to Gaza for more than a decade – money that Hamas used to build its vast arsenal and terror tunnel network.

Netanyahu has also blamed Qatar for refusing to use its “overwhelming influence over Hamas” and instead sabotaging hostage deals over the course of the war.

The prime minister has also firmly rejected the presence of Turkish soldiers in the Gaza Strip.

While Israel has diplomatic relations with Ankara, unlike Doha, they are currently very tense.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israel harshly and repeatedly throughout the war while advocating for Hamas, and in August cut off all trade and economic ties with Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State Marc Rubio seemed to back Israel’s stance, saying Monday during his trip to Israel that the ISF will “have to be people that Israel is comfortable with.”

While there is no agreement yet on which countries will contribute personnel to the ISF, the militias led by al-Astal and Abu Shabab say they are ready to take on Hamas along with two other local clans by themselves, if necessary.

“Even if we are left alone, we have no choice,” said al-Dahini, who noted that the Popular Forces “carry out searches and raids” to “hunt down” any Hamas forces left in Rafah.

Al-Astal outlined a larger vision in a recent interview with Sky News.

“We have an official project – me, Yasser Abu Shabab, Rami Halas and Ashraf al-Mansi,” he said.

Halas’ clan is based in eastern Gaza City, and al-Mansi leads a militia in the northern Gaza Strip.

All are based in the areas of Gaza controlled by the IDF, and all are reportedly receiving arms and even vehicles from Israel.

The supply is coordinated by a branch of the Defense Ministry that includes representatives of the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to the report, although the PA denies that it supports these clans.

“We are all for ‘The New Gaza.’ Soon we will achieve full control of the Gaza Strip and will gather under one umbrella,” al-Astal said.

“We will become the new administration of Gaza…. No war, at peace with everyone – no Hamas, no terrorism.”

This optimism may be premature, as Hamas forces came out of hiding as soon as the Oct. 10 cease-fire came into effect, taking control of the areas Israel left.

They have been carrying out brutal reprisals against its foes, reportedly murdering dozens, and arresting, beating and terrorizing many more in its half of the Gaza Strip in a show of organized power that the anti-Hamas militias simply do not possess, according to several former senior Israeli security officials.