Who are the Israel-backed armed groups fighting Hamas in Gaza?

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When Hamas rejected a proposal by the United States-backed Board of Peace for the group’s full disarmament, it pointed not only to Israel’s continued violations of the ceasefire, but also to its support for anti-Hamas armed groups.¹ While fears of continued Israeli attacks reinforce Hamas’ assertion that full disarmament would leave Gaza defenseless, the growing activity of Israel-backed groups has further hardened its position. As long as Israel continues providing these groups with weapons, training, and other support, their activities are likely to intensify. Violence from these groups will make Hamas even less willing to compromise on disarmament. Still, the groups don’t pose a credible threat to Hamas’ existence on their own.

Anti-Hamas groups have grown in number and become more active since the October ceasefire. At least five of these groups now operate from Israel-controlled areas east of the Yellow Line across all Gaza governorates (see visual below). ACLED records more than 40 violent events since October involving these groups that resulted in nearly 80 fatalities. Their activity has intensified since February 2026, which coincided with the US’ efforts to advance phase 2 of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza.

Anti-Hamas groups have remained concentrated near the Yellow Line, but some operations have reached deeper into areas under Hamas control, including west of Gaza City (see map below). For instance, two armed clashes on 20 April demonstrated that Israel-backed groups had infiltrated central Khan Younis and al-Mawasi in Rafah. Most incidents involving these five anti-Hamas groups were armed clashes with Hamas-affiliated security forces, including Sahm and Radea, though the groups also carried out targeted assassinations of Hamas police commanders and senior security officials. The Israel-backed groups have also detained Hamas militants and abducted and killed civilians accused of collaborating with Hamas.

Israel is empowering these groups and using them as a local force on the ground. They operate under the protection of the Israeli military, which relies on them to reduce the risks to its soldiers. For instance, the Popular Forces, the oldest of the groups, cleared Hamas tunnels and helped capture militants trapped inside. Israel has increased the level of support it provides to armed groups — which includes weapons, logistics, intelligence, and training — and has also deployed attack drones during the groups’ clashes with Hamas militants. The groups’ operations have also come alongside continued Israeli attacks on Hamas operatives near the Yellow Line, as well as strikes on Hamas police stations, security personnel, and operatives across Gaza.

Beyond the immediate threat they pose, these groups also complicate Hamas’ efforts to preserve influence within the police and other security bodies.² Israel tasked the Popular Forces with securing the Rafah border crossing.³ The group is seeking a security role in post-war Gaza, while Hamas is trying to keep parts of the existing police structure in place. Hamas also fears that continued clashes with these groups could further damage Gaza’s social fabric and fuel cycles of revenge among tribes and families.

Yet these groups do not pose an existential threat to Hamas on their own, nor do they have the capacity to replace it as a political force. They have been mobilized mainly by anti-Hamas sentiment rather than by a coherent political goal.⁴ At the organizational level, Israel-backed groups remain fragmented. They differ in leadership styles and social bases. Some leaders and members are known for criminal activity and were involved in aid looting during the war, while others come from the former Palestinian Authority security forces. Most still rely on local clan and tribal ties. These factors limit the appeal of the anti-Hamas narrative, especially as Hamas continues to portray these groups as collaborators. This charge can still isolate them socially, regardless of Hamas’ popularity in Gaza.

Israel’s continued empowerment of anti-Hamas groups will deepen Palestinian divisions and keep the heightened risk of intra-Palestinian violence alive. This dynamic serves the Israeli government's interests of blocking the emergence of a new political order in Gaza and further isolating the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. While the Trump administration still wants to avoid wider escalation in Gaza, a more stable post-war reality will be hard to achieve. Full disarmament on Israel’s terms remains unlikely, as Hamas looks to survive and preserve its status as a leading Palestinian resistance actor.

Visuals produced by Ana Marco