Yasser Abu Shabab has been named as the leader of a Palestinian militia in Gaza that Israeli officials have reportedly armed to attempt to undermine Hamas, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Abu Shabab, a Bedouin man in his 30s, leads the Popular Forces, a crime group in Gaza that is significantly smaller than Hamas.

On Thursday, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman claimed on Kan Reshet Bet that Israel is arming crime families and militias in Gaza to fight Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not deny Liberman’s claim , and defended his decision.

“What’s bad about it?” he said, as reported by the New York Times. “It’s only good and it only saves the lives of Israel Defense Force soldiers.”

Displaced Palestinian children take shelter in tents, in Khan Y

See Full Page