Full Analysis Summary
Gaza groups investigation
Al Jazeera’s investigation, What is Hidden is Greater, alleges that Israel is using armed Palestinian groups inside Gaza as agents to move freely behind the Israeli-designated yellow line and to track and target Palestinians.
The investigation names specific formations and documents their movements with audio and video material.
The report says some groups were recruited to operate inside the enclave and moved from northern to southern Gaza across areas the ceasefire was meant to restrict.
It links this activity to repeated Israeli violations of the October ceasefire that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and contributed to very high overall Gaza casualty totals since October 2023.
Al-Jazeera Net’s promotional coverage amplifies these claims and highlights a wider network of militias, including the Popular Forces, the Strike Force to Combat Terrorism, units in Shujaiya, and the Popular Army in Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun.
That coverage reports coordinated movement and cooperation across the Strip.
Citations include Al Jazeera's phrasing that it 'investigates armed Palestinian groups in Gaza accused of collaborating with Israeli forces', its reporting about groups 'moving freely from northern to southern Gaza behind the so‑called "yellow line"', and Al-Jazeera Net's note of a wider concern about a network of armed militias operating across the Gaza Strip.
Coverage Differences
Narrative emphasis and detail
Both Al Jazeera (West Asian) and Al-Jazeera Net (West Asian) report the central allegation that armed Palestinian groups are collaborating with Israeli forces and moving behind the 'yellow line', but Al Jazeera foregrounds the investigative evidence and links the groups to Israeli ceasefire violations and casualty totals, while Al-Jazeera Net emphasizes the promotional video and lists the groups and leaders by name, focusing on the network’s structure and coordination. Each source reports others' claims (for example Al Jazeera 'includes a Reuters account'), rather than presenting independent government statements as fact.
Al Jazeera investigation summary
Al Jazeera reports that its investigation links the movements of local militias to Israeli strategy.
The report recalls Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s June admission that Israel had "activated" local clans to help fight Hamas.
It includes a Reuters account, quoted in Al Jazeera, of civilians being stopped and handed over by Israel-backed gunmen from the Popular Forces for searches and interrogation.
Al Jazeera documents repeated Israeli violations of the October ceasefire that have killed more than 525 Palestinians.
The piece notes Gaza casualty figures since October 2023 of at least 71,851 dead and 171,626 wounded.
Al Jazeera frames the militias’ activity against the backdrop of large-scale Israeli killing and enforcement inside Gaza.
Al-Jazeera Net reinforces a depiction of cooperation between these militias and the occupation, naming leaders and units said to be operating with such backing.
Citations include Al Jazeera items referencing Netanyahu’s admission, the Reuters account of a woman who said Israel-backed gunmen from the Popular Forces stopped and handed over civilians, and the reported ceasefire violations.
Coverage Differences
Attribution of responsibility and evidence
Al Jazeera explicitly connects militia activity to Israeli strategy by citing Netanyahu’s admission and by quoting a Reuters account alleging Israel-backed gunmen turned over civilians, thereby attributing action to Israel and to Israel‑aligned militias. Al-Jazeera Net focuses more on naming the groups and showing the promotional footage of their presence without reprinting the Reuters account. Both sources report denials from militia leaders, which they present as claims rather than established facts.
Militias and movements in Gaza
Al-Jazeera Net provides granular naming of the militias and their leaders, listing the Popular Forces (now led by Ghassan Al-Dahini), a group led by Hossam Al-Astal that renamed itself the "Strike Force to Combat Terrorism," Rami Adnan Halas's unit active in Shujaiya, and Ashraf Al-Mansi's "Popular Army" in Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun.
It reports that observers see these groups' distribution and interactions as evidence of coordinated movement and cooperation across the Gaza Strip, implying organized collaboration that enables actors to operate in areas Palestinians are barred from under the ceasefire.
Al Jazeera's reporting and the promotional video evidence together portray a network used to infiltrate and control movement within Gaza.
The reporting also documents that some group leaders deny the accusations.
Citations: Al-Jazeera Net: "The best-known formations include the Popular Forces... Ghassan Al-Dahini"; Al-Jazeera Net: "Observers say the groups' distribution and interactions reveal coordinated movement and cooperation across the Strip."; Al Jazeera: "some groups deny the accusations."
Coverage Differences
Detail vs. investigatory framing
Al-Jazeera Net focuses on detailed naming of groups, leaders and their geographic zones — offering specific identifiers and organizational claims — while Al Jazeera frames the story as the outcome of an investigative episode that pieces together audio, video and external reporting (such as Reuters) to allege collaboration. Al-Jazeera Net’s list-style reporting provides names that Al Jazeera references but treats within the larger investigative narrative, and Al Jazeera explicitly notes denials from groups.
Al Jazeera Gaza allegations
If Al Jazeera’s evidence is accurate, the operational effect is grave: Israel is effectively deploying and enabling armed local formations to surveil, detain, and hand over Palestinians inside Gaza, expanding Israel’s reach and enforcement into civilian areas and undermining the ceasefire’s territorial protections.
Both Al Jazeera and Al-Jazeera Net stress that the accusations are supported by audio and video material and by observable movement patterns, though they also record denials from militia leaders and thus leave some factual claims contested.
The reporting signals a dangerous dynamic in which Israel-backed groups operate with freedom behind the 'yellow line'.
The investigation links Israeli military actions and allied militias to massive Palestinian casualties cited by Al Jazeera, documenting a context of severe, state-linked harm to civilians.
Al Jazeera notes that "some groups deny the accusations" and documents "repeated Israeli violations of the October ceasefire that have killed more than 525 Palestinians," while Al-Jazeera Net says groups "face multiple accusations of collaborating with the Israeli occupation, accusations some leaders deny even as evidence accumulates."
Coverage Differences
Degree of certainty and contested claims
Both sources present strong allegations and documentary evidence, but they also report denials — meaning the claim that Israel is using these militias as agents to track and target Palestinians is supported by investigative material (audio/video, movement tracking and a cited Reuters account) while remaining contested by the accused groups. Al Jazeera frames the issue within casualty totals and ceasefire violations, emphasizing the deadly consequences; Al-Jazeera Net focuses on the network’s presence and names, which underscores the breadth of actors allegedly involved.