JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has “activated” some clans of Palestinians in Gaza in the fight against Hamas.

His comments on social media were the first public acknowledgment of Israel’s backing of armed Palestinian groups within Gaza, based around powerful families.

Family militias often wield some control in corners of Gaza, and some of them have had clashes or tensions with Hamas in the past.

Palestinians and aid workers have accused clans of carrying out criminal attacks and stealing aid from trucks. Several have come forward in recent weeks to publicly reject any ties to Israel or involvement in looting.

The announcement by Netanyahu came hours after a political opponent criticized him for arming unofficial groups of Palestinians in Gaza.

In a video posted to his X account, Netanyahu said the government made the move on the advice of “security officials,” in order to save lives of Israeli soldiers.

An Israeli official said that one group that Netanyahu was referring to was the so-called Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a local clan leader in Rafah. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

In recent weeks, the Abu Shabab group announced online that its fighters were helping protect supply shipments to the new, Israeli-backed distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Rafah area.

The Abu Shabab family renounced Yasser over his connections with the Israeli military in a recent statement, saying he and anyone who joined his group “are no longer linked” to the family.

The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-linked militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

Israel responded with an offensive that has caused widespread damage, displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis that has left the territory on the brink of famine.

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than half of them women and children. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally.

Hamas is still holding 56 hostages. Around a third are believed to be alive, though many fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on.

Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and ground operations after ending a ceasefire in March.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo.