Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is arming clans in the Gaza Strip to undermine Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that Israel has been fighting for almost 20 months.

Netanyahu issued a video statement acknowledging that Israel had "activated" clans that oppose Hamas, saying the move would help save the lives of Israeli soldiers.

The prime minister made the statement after Avigdor Lieberman, a right-wing lawmaker and former deputy prime minister who is opposed to Netanyahu, leaked the news that Israel was arming Palestinian factions in Gaza and warned that the weapons could eventually be turned on Israel's own troops, who are engaged in a large-scale offensive to take control of the coastal enclave and destroy Hamas.

Lieberman claimed in an intervi

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