At the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the State of Israel is arming an ISIS-aligned Jihadist gang in Gaza, unnamed Israeli defense officials confirmed to the Times of Israel on Thursday. While refraining from validating that particular characterization of the weapon recipients, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel is "activating clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas." Significantly, the prime minister is accused of green-lighting the weapon handovers without securing his cabinet's permission.  

News of Netanyahu's latest provision of aid to Sunni extremists in the Middle East first came via remarks made by opposition Knesset member and former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman in a Thursday morning interview with Kan Bet public radio. "The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister...Ultimately, these weapons will be turned against us." 

It wouldn't be the first time Netanyahu has opportunistically bolstered Gaza extremists only to have them murderously lash out at Israelis. Indeed, following in the steps of his predecessors, Netanyahu boosted Hamas itself in a calculated effort to ensure Israel had no united, moderate counterparties available to negotiate a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. "Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas," Netanyahu told a meeting of Likud Party members of parliament in 2019. "This is part of our strategy — to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank."