An Arab ambassador said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to arm one of Gaza’s most notorious criminal gangs as a foil to Hamas demonstrates that “he has learned little since October 7.”

“Netanyahu worked to weaken the [Palestinian Authority] by bolstering Hamas in Gaza before October 7, and now he is doing it by bolstering this gang of criminals,” the ambassador told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, likening the Gaza financial aid that Netanyahu solicited from Qatar for Hamas to the transfer of weapons that the premier authorized to the Abu Shabab clan, which is widely known for its looting of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Netanyahu has denied bolstering Hamas through the Qatari aid, insisting that it was meant to stave off a humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Strip. However, critics have argued that the hundreds of millions of dollars that came in from Qatar allowed Hamas to focus on expanding its military arsenal in the years leading up to its October 7, 2023, attack when some 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel and another 251 were taken hostage.

“Netanyahu didn’t want to work with the PA then because........

© The Times of Israel