To counter Hamas, Israel backs Gazan criminals

Israel’s throttling of aid for Gaza is as much about weaponizing food and other essential goods as it is about eventually installing a post-war Palestinian administration empathetic to Israeli concerns.

Similarly, Israel’s refusal to end the war intends to create space for an alternative to Hamas to emerge as the group’s popularity in Gaza hits rock bottom.

So is Israel’s sidelining of the United Nations, despite its decades of experience in delivering aid to Gaza and extensive infrastructure in the Strip.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. Credit Atlantic Council

An outspoken Palestinian American Hamas critic who lost 33 relatives in the Gaza war, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, believes that Israel is following the example of the United States in Iraq, where it funded and trained Awakening Councils to counter Al-Qaeda.