Israel is arming local militias in Gaza in an effort to counter Hamas in the besieged enclave, officials say, as opposition politicians warned that the move endangers national security.

Israel's leader says arming "clans in Gaza" to help fight Hamas will save lives. Opposition leaders say the weapons "will eventually be turned against" Israelis.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged only that Israel had been working with “clans.” But the opposition leader warned that the “weapons going into Gaza will eventually be pointed at Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Hamas wants a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, terms U.S. and Israeli officials have rejected as unacceptable.

A senior Hamas official criticized the United States for treating Israel's demands as the "only response for negotiation," calling it a violation of "the integrity and fairness of mediation" in ceasefire talks.

Von hosts the third-biggest podcast on Spotify and frequently criticizes Israel to his 4 million YouTube followers.

The IDF discovered a trove of documents that apparently show Hamas plotting with Qatari leaders to scuttle a Trump peace plan.

Those sanctioned include Addameer, a nongovernmental organization that was founded in 1991 and is based in the city of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.