The “Sunday Telegraph” newspaper revealed the secret plan of the Israeli army to grant control over Gaza to a family after the war and how Hamas thwarted the plan.
In the report prepared by Melanie Swan, she said that Hamas foiled the plan after killing the leader of the family, prompting Israel to search for a moderate Palestinian leader from the West Bank to take over Gaza after the war.
The plan to grant the powerful Dagmash family control over the sector failed after the killing of the family’s leader and a number of his allies, according to an Israeli source familiar with the plan.
Israel is under pressure, especially from its ally the United States, to present a plan on how to manage the sector after the war, at a time when the Israeli government is facing pressure from within due to its refusal to present a plan for the sector’s future.
The intelligence source revealed the attempt that took place two months ago and encouraged the Dagmash family to take control of the sector if the fighting stopped.
“We offered the Dagmash family control,” the source said. “It ended catastrophically,” adding that “the short attempt ended with the entry of the family compound and the killing of its men, and the next day the entire family declared its support for Hamas.”
Israel saw in the Dagmash family a practical solution to overthrow Hamas in the battle for political control of the sector, where families have political influence, but all have cautious relationships with Hamas and suffer from deep rivalries among themselves.
The intelligence source said the plan gave Israel a “potential alliance opportunity based on the old idea; the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He referred to the American mafia series “The Sopranos,” saying that asking the Dagmash family was like “asking Tony Soprano to rule New Jersey.” Israel looked at the Dagmash family as a potential ally capable of removing Hamas from political power in Gaza. The family has a history of conflict, including a bloody confrontation in 2008 in which 10 family members were killed.
The newspaper said that several officials were not aware of the family’s activities beyond its control of the arms and drug smuggling network, but they saw a possible strategic dimension in it, and they began contacting family leaders who agreed to discuss the proposals.
Among its leaders, Mumtaz Dagmash, was classified by the United States on the list of wanted persons due to his relations with Al-Qaeda, which made the family unpopular among Gazans. In March, the “Times of Israel” reported that he was killed after being accused of collaborating with Israel, prompting the family to announce that all Hamas elements were now targets.
The family controlled the smuggling routes between Egypt and Rafah, according to Israeli security analyst Ronen Solomon, who has been monitoring the family’s activities since the abduction of soldier Gilad Shalit in 2005: “There is no force in Rafah or southern Gaza that has the power of the Dagmash family.”
This forced Israeli officials, according to the newspaper, to search for a reliable alternative for ruling Gaza “the next day,” hoping to find moderate and young leaders from Fatah to rule Gaza.
The newspaper quoted Odeed Elam, former director of the Israeli counterterrorism centre, as saying: “There is only one option left, which is difficult and problematic, the return of Fatah to Gaza, and not allowing Hamas to participate in the mechanism it will establish.” “For the move to succeed, we need to look for partners we trust in Fatah in Gaza and the West Bank as well.”
However, relying on moderates in Fatah creates a series of problems for Israel. Khalil al-Shikaki from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research says: “Based on the current results, few Palestinians will accept this,” adding: “If the choice is between Fatah and Hamas, the majority will go with Hamas without hesitation.”
Odeed warned that Fatah’s control over both the West Bank and Gaza would lead to the building of a unified Palestinian state, something the government of Benjamin Netanyahu does not want. He said that the return of military rule to Gaza or handing it over to a multinational force would not succeed.
