*Internal Strife in the al-Mansi Militia* Ashraf al-Mansi heads an armed collaborator militia operating in northern Gaza, particularly east of Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun, in and around areas beyond the Yellow Line. A new security scandal has illuminated internal strife in the group concerning the detention of several members and commanders inside the militia’s headquarters east of Gaza. One such case involves collaborator Mahmoud Awad, who was considered a close friend of Ashraf al-Mansi and subsequently joined his militia. Following a failed escape attempt, Awad is now reportedly being held in a secret cell run by al-Mansi himself. He joins a growing list of armed members detained on suspicion of disloyalty or following repeated attempts to escape. Awad’s detention highlights the atmosphere of suspicion and lack of trust within al-Mansi’s militia. According to the resistance platform, ‘Pursuit of the Fifth Column,’ “Relations between the militia’s leadership and its members are no longer based on loyalty or a common objective. Instead, they have increasingly come to resemble a relationship between hostages and jailers. Al-Mansi has turned his headquarters into makeshift detention centers for pursuing members fearful of their anticipated fate, amid a growing number of individual and collective attempts to escape and distance themselves from the stigma of national treason. The incident also illustrates the intelligence tactics through which ‘Israeli’ Shin Bet officers manage these mercenary militias. The Shin Bet treats these mercenaries as ‘fighting cocks’ confined within a closed arena. When armed disputes erupt among militia leaders over funding and control, occupation officers simply observe and fuel the conflict, waiting for one side to finish off the other or deliver its rival to the occupation in order to consolidate control.” This pattern apparently recurs whenever a new figure rises within the militias, threatening the leadership. Ashraf al-Mansi and Osama al-Sultan have thus imprisoned fellow collaborator Ahmad al-Samāʿna and his family alongside close associates such as Mahmoud Awad.