Report shows Israel cooperating with anti-Hamas militias during Gaza ceasefire

Israel has cooperated with anti-Hamas militias in Gaza during the ceasefire, according to a report compiled by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Jerusalem has reportedly provided supplies, intelligence and operational assistance to groups opposed to Hamas, including Al-Majida and the Popular Forces.

The WSJ report noted that the Israeli government has specifically provided weapons, food, and cigarettes to anti-Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip. Cigarettes, in particular, have become a valuable commodity in Gaza, often used as payment for various goods.

“When they go out and carry out actions against Hamas, we are there to oversee them and at times also to assist,” explained Yaron Buskila, a former senior operations officer with the IDF’s Gaza Division. “That includes providing information, and if we see Hamas trying to threaten them or get close, we intervene actively."

The Yellow Line has divided Gaza into Israeli- and Hamas-controlled zones since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October. Under the agreement, Israeli forces are meant to stay primarily on the eastern side of the line. However, a WSJ report noted that Jerusalem’s cooperation with anti-Hamas militias has enabled Israel to strike Hamas targets across the line.

Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of the anti-Hamas Popular Forces, was killed in a clan dispute in the southern Gaza town of Rafah last month. His death was reportedly not linked to any confrontation with Hamas forces. 

In a July 2025 interview, Shabab claimed that his militia group represented the will of the Gazan population against Hamas. 

"We will be what our people want us to be. We will not impose any political system on their will," he argued at the time. Hamas openly calls for Israel’s destruction. By contrast, the late anti-Hamas militia leader called for peaceful coexistence with the Jewish state. 

"Just as the Palestinian people have the right to live freely, safely, and with dignity in their country, Israelis also have the right to live in security and peace, within internationally recognized borders, based on a non-aggression pact," Shabab said. 

However, Michael Milshtein, a former head of Palestinian affairs with IDF Military Intelligence, believes anti-Hamas forces in Gaza could eventually be forced to flee or risk being executed.

“It is only a matter of time,” Milshtein said. “They will have to choose whether to stay and be executed or arrested, or flee and join the IDF."

Israeli soldiers recently uncovered hidden weapons and at least three terrorist hideouts in a 1-kilometer-long Hamas tunnel near the Yellow Line. The operation was carried out by IDF troops from the Kfir Brigade and the elite Yahalom Unit, which specializes in tunnel warfare and in dismantling enemy subterranean tunnels. 

The American-brokered ceasefire stipulates that Hamas must disarm and give up political power in the Gaza Strip. However, the Jihadist group has so far refused to disarm.

In his recent address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Hamas has agreed to disarm but did not provide any evidence. He warned that if Hamas refused to disarm, the group would be “blown away very quickly.”

Yet, he appeared to recognize the challenge to disarm Hamas in practice. 

“Now, you know, they were born with a weapon in their hand, so it's not easy to do,” Trump said.