Recent reports identify at least five localized Arab militias growing in strength through direct coordination with Israeli forces.
By Hezy Laing
The dynamic of local security control within the Gaza Strip has shifted under the oversight of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Southern Command, led by Major General Yaniv Asor.
Recent reports identify at least five localized Arab militias growing in strength through direct coordination with Israeli forces.
Operating from territories monitored by Israel, these armed Palestinian networks have transitioned from neighborhood policing entities into organized offensive wings executing counter-insurgency operations against Hamas remnants.
In northern Gaza, the Shuja’iyya Popular Defense Forces, led by Rami Hilles, initiated direct combat operations by pushing heavily armed gunmen into the Sanafour Junction of Al-Tuffah.
The resulting engagements with Hamas operatives highlighted a growing operational boldness, with militia fighters leveraging tactical advantages before withdrawing behind Israeli-monitored perimeter sectors.
Concurrently, the Free Homeland Forces scaled up their regional presence by launching a targeted raid into the Maghazi refugee camp near Deir al-Balah.
Supported by real-time Israeli aerial intelligence and drone overwatch, the militia successfully neutralized at least ten individuals while aggressively searching for hidden Hamas personnel.
Further south, the Popular Forces—historically built up by the late Bedouin commander Yasser Abu Shabab—have actively expanded their mission profile.
The group shifted from securing supply corridors to systematically destroying subterranean tunnels utilized by Hamas tactical cells.
According to data tracked by conflict monitoring groups, clashes involving these Israel-backed factions have resulted in more than 80 documented fatalities, demonstrating an intensifying internal power struggle.
The IDF, under Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has accelerated this strategy by providing the militias with tactical equipment, logistical support, and targeted medical evacuations.
Hamas leadership, severely diminished by the recent loss of Gaza chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad, has attempted to retaliate through targeted ambushes by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and localized arrests of militia figures.
However, backed by continuous Israeli intelligence, these indigenous Arab militias continue to fragment Hamas’s domestic governance and establish localized security structures across the enclave.
