Bombshell: Israeli gov’t accused of paying for Gaza aid, arming gangs in Gaza

Israel denies claims that money earmarked for security is being funneled to the Gaza Strip in the form of aid transfers, while Opposition lawmaker accuses government of arming Gaza mafias.

By World Israel News Staff

A bombshell report by Israel’s national broadcaster claims that the Israeli government has been secretly funding humanitarian aid transfers to the Gaza Strip, using money allocated for security.

According to the report, published by Kan on Wednesday, leaked state documents revealed that hundreds of millions of shekels earmarked for security have been used to fund humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip.

The 700 million shekels allegedly directed to fund the new aid distribution apparatus in Gaza were secured via spending cuts to a wide range of government programs, including in the education, health, welfare, and transportation sectors.

Government officials denied the report, with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Finance Ministry issuing a joint statement which read: “Tonight, as well, the State of Israel is not funding humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

Omer Dostri, a representative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that while “Israel and the U.S. are working closely to ensure aid does not reach Hamas, Israel does not fund humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed Dostri’s statement. “The State of Israel does not pay for humanitarian aid to Gaza, period,” he said.

However, multiple Opposition MKs have called for an investigation into the allegations.

“Remember how I said this last week in the Knesset plenum and the Prime Minister’s Office denied it?” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tweeted.

MK Avidgor Liberman, chairman of the Israel Beytenu party and a former defense minister, claimed in an interview on Kan Reshet Bet on Thursday that the Israeli government is also arming organized criminal gangs in the Gaza Strip, building them up as anti-Hamas militias.

The move, Liberman claimed, was authorized personally by the prime minister, circumventing the Security Cabinet.

Netanyahu did not confirm nor deny Liberman’s claim, instead issuing a cryptic response via the Prime Minister’s Office stating that his government is using “various ways” to defeat Hamas.

“Israel is acting to defeat Hamas in various ways upon the recommendation of the heads of the security establishment,” he said.

Over the past few days, reports from the Gaza Strip have claimed that several organized crime syndicates in the area have begun to openly defy Hamas. Chief among them is the Abu Shahab clan, led by Rafah native Yasser Abu Shabab.

Also known as al-Quwat el-Shabeyya, the gang is said to have ties to the Islamic State terror group (ISIS) and operates large-scale smuggling enterprises, including the trafficking of drugs.

During the ongoing war, the clan has also seized incoming humanitarian aid, which it then sells to Gaza civilians.