By Elham Asaad Buaras
London, (The Muslim News): Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, authorised the transfer of weapons to criminal gangs operating inside Gaza, according to explosive claims by former Defence Minister, Avigdor Lieberman.
“Israel transferred assault rifles and light weapons to criminal gangs in Gaza,” Lieberman, head of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, told the public broadcaster KAN. He claimed the decision came directly from Netanyahu and bypassed Cabinet approval. “As far as I know, the Cabinet didn’t approve it. But the head of the Shin Bet (General Security Service) was informed,” he added.
Drawing parallels with the Islamic State group, Lieberman warned, “These are effectively ISIS-style groups in Gaza. There is no guarantee these weapons won’t be used against us — we have no way to monitor them.”
KAN later reported that the operation originated within Shin Bet and had received Netanyahu’s authorisation. While the PM’s Office did not deny the reports, it stated only that Israel was “working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on recommendations from all heads of the security establishment.” Shin Bet declined to comment.
These revelations come as international concern intensifies over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the war now in its 20th month.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 54,677 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military offensive in October 2023. Another 125,530 have been injured. In the past 24 hours alone, 70 bodies were recovered and 189 people wounded, with the ministry warning that “many victims remain trapped under the rubble and in streets unreachable by rescuers.”
The UN has warned of a worsening displacement emergency. Over 640,000 Palestinians have fled their homes since March due to Israeli evacuation orders. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said a new order issued Wednesday affected 54 neighbourhoods across North Gaza, Gaza City, and Deir al-Balah. “This is the second such order for this area and now affects a third of the entire Strip,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to exact a devastating toll. At least 46 people were killed on Thursday, including entire families and journalists. In Khan Younis, five members of the same family — a couple and their three children — died when a strike hit the al-Mawasi district. A separate drone attack on a tent sheltering displaced civilians killed at least six others. Further fatalities occurred in Bani Suhaila, Deir al-Balah, and Beit Lahiya.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported additional fatalities across the Strip. Suleiman Raafat Suleiman Al-Breem and two relatives were killed in Abasan Al-Kabira; Mohammad Nemer Abu Samhadana in Batin Al-Samin; and Ashour Awni Abdeen in al-Mawasi. In Gaza City, Ahmad Al-Alawi died from injuries sustained in an earlier strike, while in Beit Lahiya, the bodies of four members of the Al-Attar family were recovered from beneath the rubble. Separately, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on civilians near a humanitarian aid distribution site by the Wadi Gaza bridge.
The conflict has also taken a heavy toll on the press. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has accused Israel of deliberately targeting media personnel. In a statement issued Thursday, it reported that 225 journalists have been killed since the war began — including 30 women. The most recent victims, Ismail Bdaih, Suleiman Hajjaj, and Samir Al-Rifai, were killed in a drone strike near Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The union also raised alarm over the continued disappearance of two journalists, Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdul-Wahed, describing their cases as “clear examples of enforced disappearance in violation of international law”.
In northern Gaza, Israeli strikes killed a pregnant woman and another individual in Jabalia, where three more bodies were later pulled from rubble. In western Gaza City, a drone strike claimed four lives, while an air raid in the south of the city killed three people, including two children, reported Anadolu Agency. These attacks came just hours after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire — a decision condemned by numerous human rights organisations.
Amid rising global outrage, the US further escalated tensions by announcing sanctions against four International Criminal Court judges. The move followed the court’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the sanctions, saying, “These judges have been actively involved in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions against the United States and our ally, Israel.” The sanctioned judges are Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza (Peru), Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou (Benin), and Beti Hohler (Slovenia).
International legal experts and human rights defenders condemned the sanctions as a direct affront to the principles of international justice. As the war grinds on, Lieberman’s allegations have intensified scrutiny of Israel’s conduct and raised urgent questions about the consequences of arming irregular forces in one of the world’s most unstable regions. Civilian casualties continue to mount, as diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed remain stalled.
[Photo: Palestinian relatives mourn during the funeral ceremony for their dear ones killed by Israeli forces who continued a series of airstrikes on a vehicle in the Al-Atatra area of Beit Lahia, Gaza, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s holiest festivals, on June 6, 2025. At least four Palestinians were killed in the attack. Photojournalist: Abdalhkem Abu Riash/AA]
