Urgent questions are being raised over a patchwork of armed groups that have emerged to fight Hamas in Gaza over recent months.
They include groups based around family clans, criminal gangs, and new militia—some of which are backed by Israel, as its prime minister recently admitted.
Elements within the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank and is a political rival to Hamas, are also believed to be covertly sending support.
However, these militia—each operating in its own local area inside the 53% of Gaza's territory currently controlled by Israeli forces—have not been officially included in US President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for an International Stabilisation Force and a newly-trained Palestinian police force to secure Gaza in the next stage of the deal.
One of the largest militia is headed by Yasser Abu Shabab, whose Popular Forces operate near the southern city of Rafah.
In one recent social media video, his deputy talks about working in coordination with the Board of Peace—the international body to be tasked with running Gaza under the plan.
Hossam al-Astal, leading a different group called the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force near Khan Younis, stated that US representatives confirmed his group will play a role in Gaza's future police force; however, a US official said there was nothing to announce at this time.
Astal previously worked with the Palestinian Authority and, despite his group being small, he expresses confidence in their growing influence, claiming they receive various support, including from Israel, while insisting they are not agents of the Israeli government.
The dynamics are further complicated by local sentiments towards these new militias. Some Gazans express discontent with the rise of armed groups, fearing they may become indistinguishable from criminal factions rather than serving to establish order.
The future of Gaza's governance remains an unresolved question as peace plans are outlined amidst shifting allegiances among various armed groups.
