As Israel’s war in Gaza has continued to drag on, one of the latest controversies to have emerged is the claim that Israel is supporting ‘ISIS-affiliated gangs’ or ‘ISIS-linked gangs’ in Gaza as a counterweight to Hamas, with the claim making rounds among Israelis, Palestinians and the wider body of international observers and pundits on the war. For example, Israeli leftist Dimi Reider recently tweeted, relying on statements made by Avigdor Liberman (whose party stands in opposition to Netanyahu’s ruling coalition): “BREAKING…Netanyahu CONFIRMS Israel has been *running* ISIS-affiliated crime gangs in Gaza.” Similarly, popular pundit Mehdi Hasan wrote (responding to John Spencer, who has defended Israel’s military campaign) : “There you have it: [Spencer] who is obsessed with Hamas is fine with arming ISIS-related gangs.”
But is there good evidence to support these claims?