'It will be like Somalia' Israel-backed militias may threaten Gaza peace plan

Armed militia and gangs supported by Israel are seizing control of parts of Gaza, exacerbating its humanitarian crisis and potentially threatening any efforts to bring order if Donald Trump's plan for the devastated territory takes hold.

- Jason Burke Jamal Risheq Jerusalem

The Israeli military and security services have for several months been arming and training groups in Gaza as local auxiliary forces and as an alternative to Hamas, but the strategy appears to have gathered momentum in recent weeks.

The so-called Popular Forces under a commander called Yasser abu Shabab have been operating in the south of the territory for several months, coordinating closely with Israeli forces around controversial aid distributions sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an opaque US- and Israel-backed private organisation.

Now up to a dozen new militia have emerged across much of Gaza, in addition to the Popular Forces.

"People fear Hamas here," said Hossam al-Astal, the leader of one newly formed force that is operating in the area of Khan Younis, the southern Gaza city.

"Hamas was always betting that there won't be any alternative to replace them in Gaza, but now I'm telling you, today, there is an alternative force to Hamas.

"It could be me or Abu Shabab or anyone else, but alternatives today exist.

"I'm sorry, I will work with the devil himself if it helps me to protect my city. [Hamas] must leave Gaza," Astal said last week.

The proliferation of armed militia in Gaza is causing further problems for aid organisations already struggling with Israeli restrictions and logistics obstacles.

An official with a major aid agency in Gaza said they had not "heard from the de facto authority" - a euphemism for Hamas - since March and were now dealing with a "variety of different actors".

"In the north there is nobody in charge, in the central area there are some really powerful families and some small informal militia ... and in the south you have formalised Israeli clients who get weapons and so on from the Israeli military," they said.