The leader of a Palestinian armed group fighting against "Hamas" admitted that he cooperates with the Israeli army in conducting operations in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
Yasser Abu Shabab claims that he moves freely in areas controlled by the Israeli army, with which, according to him, he "communicates" before the operations of his armed group.
“We only inform them, but we carry out the military actions ourselves“, he said in an interview with "Macan" - the Israeli public radio station in Arabic.
The leader of the armed group said that he receives “logistical and financial support from several countries“, without mentioning Israel directly. “There are things that we cannot talk about publicly”, he explained.
In June, the Israeli authorities admitted that they support and arm a Palestinian clan opposing “Hamas”, without directly naming the one led by Yasser Abu Shabab.
“We are acting in various ways against the Hamas government”, said Israeli army spokeswoman Effie Defrin.
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a “criminal gang” operating in the Rafah area - a city located between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. The group has also been accused of robbing aid trucks in Gaza.
“We do not belong to any ideology or political organization“, Yasser Abu Shabab said, saying he had been fighting the “injustice“ and “corruption“ of “Hamas“ since the movement took power in Gaza in 2007.
“We will continue the fight no matter how much blood is shed. Right now, “Hamas” is dying. They know their end is near,” he added.
On Wednesday, the “Hamas” military court gave Abu Shabab ten days to appear in court.