Israel 'operated clans' in Gaza, Netanyahu says, after being accused of arming Palestinian militias

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has "operated clans" successful Gaza successful a video published connected societal media Thursday aft an absorption leader accused him of arming Palestinian militias successful bid to bolster absorption to Hamas. 

When asked astir the allegations made by Avigdor Lieberman, leader of 1 of the absorption parties successful the Knesset and a erstwhile defence minister, and whether helium made them for governmental gain, Netanyahu said:.

"What did Lieberman leak? ... That with the proposal of information forces, we person operated clans in Gaza who reason Hamas. What's incorrect with that? It is lone good. It lone saves IDF soldiers' lives."

In the video posted connected his Facebook and X accounts, Netanyahu said releasing details of Israel's actions is "benefiting lone Hamas," according to a translation of the archetypal Hebrew from Reuters.

In the aftermath of Lieberman's comments, The Times of Israel reported that Israel had transferred weapons to Yasser Abu Shabab, a person of a ample clan successful the Rafah country that is among those accused of looting humanitarian aid. Rafah is present nether afloat Israeli service control. The report cited a defence source. 

The New York Times reported akin details citing 2 Israeli officials adjacent to the substance who told the insubstantial that Israeli authorities had provided "support, including weapons, to Yasser Abu Shabab." 

Abu Shabab denies receiving arms from Israel

A fewer hours aft Netanyahu's video was posted connected societal media, Abu Shabab posted a statement on Facebook in which he claimed Israeli media reports were mendacious and denied that helium received weapons from Israel. 

"We categorically cull these accusations and see them a blatant effort to distort the representation of a grassroots unit calved from suffering—one that stood up to injustice, looting, and corruption," the connection read. 

It went connected to accidental that the weapons his radical does use are from the "support of our ain people." Abu Shabab said his clan would ne'er beryllium "a instrumentality of the occupation" and called connected Israel to contiguous grounds to Palestinian radical and the media. 

Abu Shabab antecedently said that helium was gathering up a unit to unafraid assistance deliveries into immoderate parts of Gaza.

Aid sites shuttered connected Friday

Meanwhile, assistance organisation successful Gaza was halted connected Friday aft the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said overcrowding had made it unsafe to proceed operations successful the latest disruption to its troubled alleviation effort.

With terrible nutrient shortages plaguing the coastal enclave, warring continued successful galore areas of the Gaza Strip.

Local wellness authorities said 16 Palestinians were killed successful Israeli strikes, mostly successful bluish Gaza, portion the Israeli service said 4 of its soldiers were killed and 5 were wounded by an detonation successful a gathering successful Khan Younis to the south.

WATCH | GHF assistance sites adjacent owed to 'safety concerns': 

In a time of confusing messaging, the GHF archetypal announced its organisation sites successful confederate Gaza were closed past it revealed that it had really handed retired food, earlier saying that it had had to adjacent its gates arsenic a precautionary measure.

"The organisation was conducted peacefully and without incident; however, it was paused owed to excessive crowding that made it unsafe to proceed," it said successful a statement.

As Palestinians crossed the war-ravaged Gaza Strip marked the commencement of 1 of Islam's astir important holidays, Eid al-Adha, Israeli forces continued subject operations that they accidental are needed to basal retired and destruct Hamas militants.

The Israeli subject said 4 soldiers were killed successful a booby-trapped building, which brought the service decease toll to 8 since the commencement of June.

Eid prayers held amid rubble

The service earlier issued caller evacuation orders for areas successful and astir Gaza City, informing of an imminent attack.

With galore residential areas of Gaza reduced to rubble by months of fighting, locals held Eid al-Adha supplication services successful the open, adjacent to bombed-out mosques and homes.

"As you tin see, we are holding Eid prayers, portion the bombing, shelling and planes are ongoing," said Umm Mahmoud successful Khan Younis.

The United Nations has warned that astir of Gaza's 2.3 cardinal colonisation is astatine hazard of famine aft an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the complaint of young children suffering from acute malnutrition astir tripling.

The GHF began distributing nutrient packages successful Gaza astatine the extremity of May, overseeing a caller exemplary of assistance organisation that the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral.

It suspended operations connected Wednesday and asked the Israeli subject to reappraisal information protocols aft infirmary officials said much than 80 radical had been changeable dormant and hundreds wounded adjacent organisation points betwixt June 1 and 3.

After the two-month ceasefire broke down successful March, Israel blockaded assistance supplies into Gaza for 11 weeks, prompting a famine informing from a planetary hunger monitor. Israel, which has lone partially lifted the blockade since, vets each assistance into Gaza and accuses Hamas of stealing immoderate of it, thing the militant radical denies.

WATCH l Friend of Weinstein, Haggai relieved household gets 'peace of mind': 

Israel has re-intensified an violative against Gaza's ascendant Hamas militant radical since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire successful March successful a warfare triggered by the cross-border onslaught connected Oct. 7, 2023, led by Hamas, considered a violent enactment by respective countries including Canada.

The archetypal attacks killed 1,200 radical successful Israel, including respective Canadian citizens.

Some 251 hostages were besides taken, with astir a mates twelve believed inactive alive, according to the Israeli government. While galore of the remaining were freed successful periodic captive exchanges, the bodies of different hostages person been repatriated, including Canadian national Judih Weinstein and her hubby conscionable this week.

Israel's subject run successful effect to those attacks has killed implicit 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza wellness authorities.