Israel may have agreed to stop fighting in Gaza, but it is backing armed groups that plan to fight Hamas to the bitter end.
Sky News has confirmed for the first time that four anti-Hamas militias are all backed by Israel, and consider themselves part of a joint project to remove Hamas from power.
The groups are all operating from areas still under Israeli control, behind what’s been called the “yellow line” – the boundary for Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troop deployments established by the ceasefire agreement.
“We are all for ‘The New Gaza’. Soon we will achieve full control of the Gaza Strip and will gather under one umbrella.”
The footage below, shared with Sky News, shows troops from Hossam al Astal’s militia parading near its base.
We used the video to identify the location of the militia’s headquarters for the first time.
It is situated on a military road that runs along the yellow line, less than 700 metres from the nearest IDF outpost.
“I’m hearing the sound of tanks now while I’m speaking, perhaps they’re out on patrol or something, but I’m not worried,” says al Astal.
“They don’t engage us, and we don’t engage them […] We’ve agreed, through the coordinator, that this is a green zone, not to be targeted by shelling or gunfire.”
The New Gaza
This area, now a patchwork of rubble and military berms, was once a leafy suburb of Gaza’s second city, Khan Younis.
Al Astal says he grew up here, but was forced to flee in 2010 after being pursued by Hamas over his involvement in militant groups aligned with their rival, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA).
He spent the next 11 years abroad, working for the PA’s security services in Egypt and Malaysia.
Two months after he returned to Gaza, he was accused of involvement in the 2018 assassination of a Hamas member in Malaysia and sentenced to death.
“When the war started, they left us locked up, hoping the Israelis would bomb the prison and rid them of us,” he says. “Two months later, we broke down the doors and escaped.”
Hossam al Astal poses with armed men from his militia in Khan Younis. Pic: Hossam Al Astal
He says that his weapons, mainly Kalashnikov rifles, are purchased from former Hamas fighters on the black market.
Ammunition and vehicles, on the other hand, are delivered through the Kerem Shalom border crossing after coordination with the Israeli military.
Yasser Abu Shabab (right), in a photo uploaded to his social media account.
