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In 2024, Yaniv Voller wrote “The Inevitable Role of Clans in Post-Conflict Stabilization in Gaza,” where he argued that clans will continue to be a popular and likely method of stabilizing Gaza after fighting ceases. In the wake of the Israel Defense Forces’ official launch of a ground offensive into Gaza City, we invited Yaniv back to reflect on his arguments.Image: RafahKid Kid via Wikimedia CommonsIn your 2024 article, “The Inevitable Role of Clans in Post-Conflict Stabilization in Gaza,” you wrote about the Israeli government’s consideration of using clans as proxies once the war concludes. A few months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had already begun arming clans to act against Hamas. What significance does this decision hold for you, especially as it came sooner than you originally anticipated?In retrospect, my argument could have been made more poignantly. My suggestion was that partnering with clans will come once fighting between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas subsides. Officially, Operation Swords of Iron is still ongoing. In practice, the nature of conflict has changed significantly since the spring of 2024, with the IDF now engaging with Hamas remnants in what is primarily guerrilla warfare across parts of the Gaza Strip. In such circumstances, relying on a local proxy is a convenient strategy because the IDF, despite controlling the Gaza Strip, seeks to minimize contact with the local population. In short, there is already something of a “day after,” albeit different than what many of us imagined in early 2024. And within this context, local clans and their militias have been fulfilling the role that the Israeli government has designated for them.You wrote, “The long-term challenge facing the Israeli government remains the need to control the security situation in the [Gaza] Strip without direct Israeli intervention.” We now