Gaza rebel clan leaders carve out Hamas-free zone - and say Tony Blair is welcome

Gunfire cracked and rockets exploded across Khan Younis last week as a brutal battle erupted.

Dozens lost their lives, including Hamas fighters who were then rumoured to have been dragged through the streets.

Strikingly, not a single Israeli soldier was present at the scene, reports The Telegraph. The news emerges as Israeli hostages release timetable was published as the world holds its breath.

Whilst global attention remained fixed on the Israel Defense Force's battle for Gaza City at the time, it was arguably the bloodshed between Palestinians further south that offered a better insight into the future of the Strip.

In Khan Younis streets, Hossam al-Astal, a sworn enemy of Hamas, rallied his men for battle against the terrorists after they had launched an assault on the neighbouring al-Majayda clan.

The savage encounter represented the first serious clash between Hamas and the rebel leader's militia, which he calls Strike Force Against Terror.

A slogan declaring "No place for Hamas dogs" is emblazoned on a social media picture of the militia leader alongside eight heavily armed men, which was posted around the same time as last week's battle.

Escaped from prison after October 7

Hamas arrested Mr Astal several times and sentenced him to death, but he survived by escaping from prison after his jailers fled what they assumed would be an Israeli reprisal strike after the Oct 7 terror attack, reports The Telegraph.

The armed militia leader has now established a "safe city", a small area of roughly one square mile that is free of Hamas and promises an alternative to the terror group. He says 200 people have taken refuge there.

By setting up this small, armed enclave, Mr Astal cooperates with Israel, which allows him freedom of action, protection from air strikes and bespoke access to aid.

Claims IDF backed latest operation

His forces thwarted a further attack in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis last week with air support from the IDF, he claimed.

Israeli military officials did not mention the militia group when sharing a video of drone strikes on Hamas terrorists.

During a telephone interview with The Telegraph, the former security official in the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governed Gaza before Hamas's coup in 2007, describes the new zone he occupies as a "liberated area from Hamas occupation".

"We're using mainly handguns and AK-47s taken from Hamas," Mr Astal told The Telegraph. "I can't say how many fighters we have. Right now, that's very sensitive - we're in a war."

Tony Blair praised as potential Gaza leader

Armed groups such as Mr Astal's could become the backbone of Gazan security once Hamas is disarmed and a transitional authority put in place, potentially run by Sir Tony Blair.

"Tony Blair is a decent politician," he said. "I think his help can be useful, especially if it's coming with an international agreement or mandate.

"We are ready to cooperate with anyone who will bring help to our people in Gaza."

Yet on the evidence of recent days, that might be jumping the gun.

Ceasefire holds as hostage release looms

The ceasefire that came into force on Friday appeared to be holding at the time of writing, making the momentous release of Israel's 48 hostages - expected for Monday - more likely by the hour.

However, serious unresolved questions remain about what happens after that, including Hamas disarmament, Israel's withdrawal timeline and the future governance of Gaza.

Donald Trump applied such pressure on both sides to agree to an outline deal, initiate a ceasefire and get the hostages out, that much of the detail on what comes after this so-called "phase one" is yet to be hashed out.

IDF pulls back as Hamas returns to streets

After months of fighting, the IDF has now largely abandoned Gaza's urban areas.

Hamas has not yet been disarmed nor, as far as we know, has any mechanism for achieving this been agreed.

Both sides are yet to agree Mr Trump's International Stabilisation Force, which would be deployed to Gaza as part of his 20-point plan.

Reports emerged within hours of the Israeli withdrawal on Friday of Hamas's internal security forces patrolling the streets for the first time since the February ceasefire.

Risk of civil war looms over Gaza

Israel is effectively barred from re-engaging by the US president, creating a risk that Gaza stays in limbo: the 47 per cent of territory not controlled by Israel either slipping back into Hamas control, or a low-level civil war, with the kind of clashes we saw in the Majayda quarter last week becoming a daily occurrence.

"We will not stop fighting Hamas," said Mr Astal. "We have martyrs - Hamas has our blood on their hands. Even if Israel signs a treaty and stops the war with Hamas, we will not stop."

Mr Astal commanded 250 soldiers in his work as a PA security officer before the 2007 Hamas takeover.

Network of former PA officers ready to strike

Personal relationships and affiliations matter more than institutions in Palestinian society.

Those without allegiance to Hamas are likely to be loyal to Fatah, the main political movement within the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, which runs the PA civil authority in the West Bank.

"I am in touch with tens of former PA officers around Gaza and we are all ready and waiting for zero hour, the moment when we are all going to liberate Gaza Strip from Hamas," Mr Astal said.

How a transitional authority, whether led day-to-day by Sir Tony or someone else, would manage issues such as policing is not known yet, assuming that Hamas does disarm and the proposed organisation takes power.

Fears of Iraq-style insurgency

Failing to recognise and empower people such as Mr Astal, with his existing networks of loyalty, and relying only on foreign troops, could be disastrous, some observers have said.

George W Bush's fateful decision to dismiss the entire Iraqi army after the US invasion in 2003, which presaged an insurgency led in part by disaffected former officers, is a cautionary tale they point to.

Mr Astal said that empowering people with Fatah loyalties is not the same as handing control to the PA itself, which he accused of sitting on the fence during the current conflict.

"They don't want to lose legitimacy," he commented. "They are observing our experience. They are afraid: what if they bet on us and they lose."

No help from Palestinian Authority

While he still has "a lot of contacts" with former colleagues, the Ramallah-based authority itself has not helped him, he says.

Rumours persist that the PA, which works more closely with Israel in combating Hamas in the West Bank than either side would care to admit, has been funding armed clans, particularly in Gaza's south, in an effort to unseat the group.

"Gazans should be governing Gaza and we see ourselves as the institution which wants to govern Gaza because we are serving our own people," he said.

"We are the ones who suffered over the 18 years. We don't want remote authorities controlling us."

Israeli ears will welcome that message.

Netanyahu opposes PA control of Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu's government despises the idea of PA control in Gaza, fearful that joint authority over both territories would bring Palestinians closer to a coherent state.

Mr Astal's cooperation with Israel makes him, along with the heads of other armed clans such as Yasser Abu Shabab in Rafah, deeply controversial figures in Gaza. Some view them as little more than paid hitmen of the country that has laid waste to the territory and killed tens of thousands of civilians.

Israel's involvement with groups such as Mr Astal's drew criticism from some within the country, who argue that when Israel tries to achieve its goals by aiding certain Arab factions against others, it normally ends in tears.

Receives aid and tactical support from Israel

"We coordinate with Israel," Mr Astal openly conceded. "Without coordination you cannot survive. We get pampers for the kids, food, water, solar panels."

And tactical support? "We coordinate in regards to security," he added.

The word "collaborator" will not be tolerated by Mr Astal.

"They called me a collaborator, but my own daughter was killed in an Israeli bombardment. Myself, I was injured in an Israeli bombardment."

Although there are those in Gaza who dislike Mr Astal for working with Israel, he does not face the same opprobrium as Abu Shabab, who is accused of being part of an organised crime network, and also for collaboration with the highly controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid system, at whose hubs hundreds of Palestinians have died, it should be pointed out.

Fighting the root cause of Gaza's problems

Cold pragmatism drives Mr Astal and his followers - fighting the root cause of Gaza's ills.

"Hamas are war criminals," he said. "Their biggest line of defence is the human shields, the people. They're still hiding and blending among them.

"But what kind of sick people, what kind of government does this? Without that, we could end them in one day."

If Hamas is properly disarmed, as per the Trump plan, and an interim authority established, he will disarm himself if requested, he insists.

Ready to disarm if Hamas removed

"Of course. Any scenario for Gaza that is without Hamas we agree with," Mr Astal said.

"If the countries around the world and the regional countries agree with this scenario then we will be happy to cooperate and we will disarm."

Israeli troops began to withdraw from the areas they had fought so hard to capture on Thursday, and Hamas lost no time in turning their focus towards their Palestinian enemies, putting out a barrage of invective against Mr Astal on social media, calling for his death.

They will be in a position to at least try to achieve that end until a meaningful disarmament mechanism starts.

"They are trying to show people that they are strong, that they are still there," he said. "But we were able to defeat them. It was our first military engagement. We're just getting established."