In a brief statement, the organization warned the Gazans not to be misled by false information.

The clarification is a response to social media messages about alleged coordination between the ICRC and armed gangs led by Yasser Abu Shabab, who serves Israel’s interests.

Several Israeli media outlets revealed in the last few days that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government provided Abu Shabab’s group with weapons confiscated from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian militias in the coastal enclave.

Accused of drug trafficking, Abu Shabab and his followers are involved in protecting the aid distribution centers set up by Israel and the United States in Gaza, despite international criticism, especially from the United Nations, for that mechanism, which has been described as selective and ineffective.

abo/iff/mem/rob