Netanyahu confirms Israel arms Gaza clans to fight Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday that Israel has armed local clans in the Gaza Strip to counter Hamas.

He was responding to accusations from opposition lawmaker and former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who claimed Netanyahu had ordered arms transfers to "criminal gangs" in Gaza. Lieberman criticized the move, warning that the weapons could one day be directed at Israel, as the country has no means of monitoring or tracking them.

Netanyahu confirmed the initiative in a video posted to his X account, stating that the move was advised by security officials.

"On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas," he said. "What's wrong with that? It's only a good thing. It only saves the lives of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers.”

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news cited Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying the initiative was approved by Netanyahu and carried out in coordination with the Shin Bet internal security agency, without approval from the Security Cabinet.

Humanitarian crisis

This revelation comes as Gaza grapples with 20 months of Israeli siege, airstrikes and ground assaults that have left much of the enclave in ruins and caused widespread severe hunger. Key infrastructure, including hospitals, universities, electricity networks and farmland, has been severely damaged or destroyed.

After 80 days of a full blockade on the entry of aid and supplies, people in Gaza are facing starvation. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Thursday that Israeli authorities have continued to deny humanitarian movements requiring coordination.

On Wednesday, out of 16 attempts to coordinate such movements, five were rejected, including the transport of water, the retrieval of nutrition supplies and the relocation of fuel stocks. Six other missions were also disrupted or canceled, according to OCHA.

The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. OCHA reported that more than 90 percent of families in Gaza lack the cash to buy what little food remains in the markets. Meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit are nearly absent from people's diets, and eggs have once again disappeared from the market.

UN calls to preserve two-state solution

The UN Security Council proposed a draft resolution on Gaza on Wednesday, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid. The draft was supported by 14 of the 15 Security Council members but was vetoed by the United States, rendering it invalid.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed disappointment over the U.S. veto and reiterated that the UN will continue to assist Gaza. He emphasized the importance of preserving the two-state solution.

"For those that doubt the two-state solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-state solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled or the Palestinians will be forced to live in their land without rights? That would be totally unacceptable," he said.

Israel has refused to discuss potential governance scenarios for Gaza after the conflict ends, with Netanyahu and his ministers insisting that the Palestinian Authority will not govern the enclave.

(With input from Xinhua)