Israel provides air cover to Abu Shabab militia in its confrontation with Hamas.

The Israeli occupation forces carried out an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip at midnight Monday-Tuesday, targeting Hamas members during a clash with a militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The airstrikes were intended to provide air cover and direct military support to the armed gang.

This came according to a report by i24NEWS (Israel's Channel 15). According to the report, an Israeli Air Force aircraft intervened, based on a series of "prior authorizations," to attack four Hamas members during an armed clash with Abu Shabab fighters.

According to the report, the clash between Hamas members and the Abu Shab gang resulted in casualties on both sides. An Israeli drone arrived at the scene and monitored the movements of both sides before the occupation intervened from the air, in what was described as the first direct airstrike of its kind by the Israeli military in support of the militia.

This military intervention comes in the context of what has become known as the occupation's involvement in establishing, financing, and arming criminal militias within the Gaza Strip, most notably the "Abu Shabab" group, which operates in Rafah and seeks to expand its reach and control to other areas of the Strip.

Militia members were previously seen in a video broadcast by the Qassam Brigades, wearing civilian clothes, combing houses in the eastern part of the city before being ambushed, resulting in the deaths of several members. This has raised widespread questions about the identities of these groups and their role in the ongoing battle.

Israeli and Arab reports indicate that Abu Shabab's militia consists of dozens of militants, some of whom are escaped prisoners and drug dealers, recruited by the Shin Bet security service to impose "alternative local governance" to Hamas in specific areas.

Maariv reported that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar recommended arming the militia with weapons confiscated by Israel from Hamas and Hezbollah, as part of a "pilot project" to test its ability to control the field.

Residents and local sources accuse the militia of murder, looting, and theft, including seizing humanitarian aid trucks and extorting drivers. Reports indicate that Abu Shabab militants are behind the systematic looting of aid arriving through the Kerem Shalom crossing via the United Nations.

In contrast, the Palestinian Authority denied any connection to these groups, stating, through a security spokesman, that "what this gang is doing is illegal and outside Palestinian legitimacy." This followed attempts by Abu Shabab to appear affiliated with the Authority in statements to Israeli media.

The occupation's support for these gangs comes amid its ongoing military failure to eliminate the Palestinian resistance. According to Palestinian analysts, this has prompted it to employ models of "agents' authority" in the Gaza Strip and recruit local militias to undermine the internal social and field infrastructure, as part of a policy aimed at dismantling the internal front and accelerating plans for displacement and control.