IDF, local Gazans make attempt to cooperate on aid behind Hamas's back

Members of Hamas ride on a truck as they display a rocket during an anti-Israel rally in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 28, 2021

The IDF has begun taking steps to test the rule of local Gazan clans in the Gaza Strip after Hamas was destroyed, according to a report by London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday.

According to the report, the head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major General Ghassan Alian, was in contact with local leaders who weren’t affiliated with Hamas in order to organize the protection of the humanitarian aid convoys by local armed groups.

The report stated that most factions refused, however a large clan reportedly agreed, and another one is considering the proposal.

Sources in Hamas allegedly told Asharq Al-Awsat that the terror group has sufficient information about the communications taking place between Israel and the local clans. They claimed that they are monitoring actions made by local armed men, calling their actions violations and said that their aim is to cause chaos, sabotage and incitement.

The sources also claimed that Hamas leadership has decided to take action against the local groups and that they “will pay for their actions,” according to the report.

Palestinian militants attend Hamas rally Solidarity with Al-Aqsa in Jabalia, northern Gaza April 7, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AARAFAT BARBAKH)

Palestinian militants attend Hamas rally Solidarity with Al-Aqsa in Jabalia, northern Gaza April 7, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AARAFAT BARBAKH)

This report comes following  US airdrop of aid into Gaza, following the aid convoy disaster on Thursday in which over 100 Gazans were killed.

This arrangement is part of a larger plan of cooperation between the IDF and local Gazan clans

This isn’t the first report of the IDF trying to collaborate with local groups in Gaza. Israeli officials announced in February that they were interested in establishing Palestinian-run “humanitarian pockets” unaffiliated with Hamas

Israeli officials said the planned “humanitarian pockets” would be in districts of the Gaza Strip from which Hamas has been expelled but that their ultimate success would hinge on Israel achieving its goal of destroying the Islamist faction across the tiny coastal territory that it has been governing.