The United States is seeking to recruit organized crime gangs, some of which are also involved in drug trafficking, to form a new policing force in the Gaza Strip, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported. Citing Western officials, the report said the Trump administration has presented plans for a new security force that would be heavily staffed by members of armed militias opposed to Hamas.
Israel, which is expected to support the US proposals, has previously armed several militias in Gaza since the war began. However, the recruitment of gang members into a Washington-backed peacekeeping force has sparked opposition from senior US commanders. Top US military officials are concerned that the president’s peace plan will not succeed without what they describe as “reliable security partners.” Countries involved in Trump’s plans, including France and Britain, have also expressed concern.
Residents of Gaza are generally distrustful of the militias, which have documented ties to organized crime spanning decades. In recent months, their members have been accused of looting aid trucks, carrying out killings and engaging in kidnappings.
According to The Telegraph, the proposal to recruit gang members was raised before Christmas and also triggered controversy at the US coordination center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel. A Western source said there was “significant opposition along the lines of, ‘This is ridiculous — these are not just crime gangs, they are also funded by Israel.’”
Western officials have questioned the feasibility of what they described as the “ideological” approach of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Aryeh Lightstone, a longtime adviser who joined the team of special envoy Steve Witkoff. One source told The Telegraph that “there is a sense that Kushner, Lightstone and others believe that if Palestinians are simply given a chance to escape Hamas, they will take it. But the reality on the ground is that while many Gazans do not like Hamas, they very much dislike the gangs and do not trust them. They see them as criminals.”
At this stage, the report said, it remains unclear which militias US and Israeli officials proposed recruiting for the new Gaza policing force. The White House did not deny that such an approach had been suggested.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the report.