Lieberman accuses Netanyahu of arming criminal gangs in Gaza.

Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday of secretly approving the arming of "criminal families" in the Gaza Strip with "light weapons and assault rifles" through the Israeli security apparatus.

In an interview with Israeli public radio (Kan-Reshet B), Lieberman said, "Israel supplied criminal families in Gaza with assault rifles and light weapons, on Netanyahu's orders. These weapons reach criminals and are then directed toward Israel."

Lieberman added that his assessment is that "this move was not presented to the cabinet," adding that "the head of the Shin Bet is aware of it, but I don't think the chief of staff is aware of it. We're talking about groups like ISIS in Gaza."

"No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be used against Israel. We have no monitoring or tracking capabilities," Lieberman continued, adding, "I'm not sure how capable Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar is of performing his duties, just a week before his departure."

Lieberman stressed that the identity of the party that approved this operation remains unclear, saying, "It is not clear who approved this operation, and whether Defense Minister Yisrael Katz was aware of it, nor was the Knesset."

These statements, made by the former Israeli Minister of Defense, highlight what he described as Netanyahu's deliberate disregard for official oversight mechanisms, such as the cabinet or the Knesset, when making sensitive security decisions.

These accusations align with previous reports that Israel supports criminal gangs in the Gaza Strip, involved in stealing aid and creating chaos, as part of an effort to weaken Hamas's authority during the ongoing war on the Strip.