GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gazans are increasingly issuing complaints with security services in the Gaza Strip of being blackmailed by Israeli security and intelligence services. Israel is seeking to recruit new Palestinian spies, by exploiting their need for work, money, medical treatment or travel.

A latent security war is underway between Shin Bet and the security services in Gaza. The former has the means to recruit Gazans to collect information on everything going on in the Gaza Strip, while the latter is seeking to thwart these attempts, according to Col. Mohammed Abu Harbeed, the information security specialist at the Gaza Interior Ministry.

Abu Harbeed told Al-Monitor, “In 2014, 70-80% of citizens passing through the Erez crossing — which is under Israeli supervision — were subject to recruitment attempts by Israel.” He said they include merchants, patients, Gazans who are traveling for leisure purposes and students studying at foreign universities.

He added, “According to the complaints filed by those citizens, the Israeli Shin Bet officers have asked them to get information on the security headquarters in Gaza, spy on the movements of certain people and help the Israeli army collect information on ordinary citizens by providing reports on their personal lives. In other words, those officers are pushing the people to spy on their behalf.”