KHAN YOUNIS (Realist English). A former Palestinian Authority security officer says he has formed a group in southern Gaza to challenge Hamas’s control and provide sanctuary to civilians seeking to escape the Islamist movement.
Hossam al-Astal told The Times of Israel that his faction, operating near the depopulated village of Kizan al-Najjar outside Khan Younis, is ready to shelter “whoever lives under Hamas’s oppression,” with food, water and shelter provided. He said another 300–400 people are expected to join in the coming days, after security checks to ensure no Hamas ties.
“I am responsible for the new humanitarian zone in Khan Younis,” al-Astal said, likening his efforts to those of Yasser Abu Shabab, whose armed group has built alternative governance structures in Israeli-controlled parts of Rafah. While the two groups remain in contact, al-Astal emphasized they operate independently.
Al-Astal, 50, comes from a Bedouin family in Khan Younis and previously worked in Israel and for the PA’s security forces before Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. He said he was jailed several times by Hamas. Pro-Hamas social media accounts have circulated his photos, accusing him of collaborating with Israel.
He acknowledged “coordination” with Israel and said his group expects to rely on Israel for electricity and water. He also claimed to have weapons and financial support from “multiple sources,” including the U.S., Europe and unnamed Arab states.
“People here don’t want Hamas, they want peace with Israel,” al-Astal said. Reflecting on the past, he added: “When Israel was in Gaza, children played, went to school, and there were no problems. Today, Hamas’s terror has destroyed Gaza and its people.”
