Yisrael Beitenu Party Chairman Avigdor Liberman on Thursday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of supplying weapons to armed militias in Gaza with ties to ISIS, as new reports raise questions about coordination between Israel and emerging non-Hamas factions in the enclave. In an interview with public broadcaster Kan Reshet Bet, Liberman claimed the Israeli government was “transferring weapons to a group of thugs and criminals who identify with ISIS.”

He said he believed the move was carried out with the knowledge of the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency, but without Cabinet approval. “I don’t know how much the IDF chief of staff was informed,” he added.

Netanyahu’s office did not deny the allegation, saying only that “Israel is taking various steps to defeat Hamas, based on the recommendations of all security agency heads.” Liberman responded with a brief post on X, formerly Twitter: “Don’t give them guns.”

Netanyahu says Israel has ‘activated’ some Palestinian clans opposed to Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has “activated” some clans of Palestinians in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas, though it was not immediately clear what role they would play.

His comments on social media were the first public acknowledgment of Israel’s backing of armed Palestinian groups within Gaza, based around powerful clans or extended families.