by Jerusalem Post Staff
Israeli intelligence reportedly approached powerful Gaza clans with offers of support in exchange for turning against Hamas. Their refusal was followed by deadly airstrikes from Israel.
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Israeli officials attempted to recruit major clans in the Gaza Strip to form local governing bodies in certain areas in an attempt to reduce Hamas’s grip on the territory, according to a report published in the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper and security officials in Gaza City.
The report, citing unnamed security officials and local sources in Gaza City, stated that Shin Bet operatives approached leaders of the Bakr and Durmush clans with proposals of support in exchange for cooperation.
The reported offers included intelligence sharing, taking up arms against Hamas, and assisting in political efforts intended to prevent a future Israeli withdrawal and hinder the formation of a Palestinian authority in Gaza.
Following the clans’ refusal to participate, airstrikes reportedly struck both occupied and evacuated homes belonging to members of the families. In one incident, 30 members of the Durmush clan were reported killed in an airstrike in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, with another 20 said to be trapped under the rubble. A separate strike on a home in the southern part of the al-Shati refugee camp reportedly killed six members of the Bakr clan and wounded 11 others.
According to the report, this was not the first such attempt. Previous efforts to arm local elements collapsed after Hamas targeted and killed individuals who had engaged with Israel. An Israeli official at the time was quoted as calling the initiative a “Shin Bet scheme.”
Encouraging alternative local governance
In the early weeks of the current war, Israel again explored the possibility of working with tribal elements as part of a plan to establish what were referred to as “humanitarian bubbles” in Gaza. The proposal, promoted by then-defense minister Yoav Gallant, aimed to encourage alternative local governance.In June 2024, The Telegraph cited an Israeli intelligence source as saying that Israel had tried to promote the Durmush clan as a potential replacement leadership.
According to that account, Hamas responded by entering the clan's compound and beheading its leader. The following day, all major clans in Gaza reportedly issued public statements backing Hamas.
Jerusalem Post Staff
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-868810
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