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Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
The rise of Abu Shabab
In Gaza, where the ruins of war have reshaped the landscape, power often grows not out of ideals but opportunity. Yasser Abu Shabab rose in the vacuum left by chaos and disorder, not as a symbol of resistance, but as a product of divisions and breakdowns within the system. Operating in the grey zone between armed power, opportunism and survival, his name has come to represent the kind of suspicious alliance and internal betrayals that increasingly define Gaza's political underworld. As reports of looted aid and secret coordination with the Israeli military surface, Abu Shabab's story exposes the uncomfortable truths behind public narratives of heroism and resistance. Abu Shabab is not well-known to the public, but many in political and armed circles in Gaza are familiar with his name. He was born and raised in Rafah and is a member of the Tarabin clan, one of the largest Bedouin tribes in the region. People who know him say he isn't driven by strong beliefs, but by a desire to gain power and protect his own interests. In mid-2010, he took on important roles behind the scenes helping to move supplies, make deals, and manage fighters. He became known not for fighting on the front lines, but for building connections and taking advantage of the chaos during unrest. These actions helped him rise to prominence, but also made him a controversial and suspicious figure. Abu Shabab had a tense relationship with the Hamas authorities in Gaza, having previously been imprisoned by them on charges related to drug dealing. His detention was part of Hamas' broader crackdown on criminal activity and internal dissent. However, following the outbreak of war on 7 October 2023, he managed to escape from prison amid the chaos. Since then, he has resurfaced as a prominent figure operating independently, taking advantage of the security vacuum in parts of the Strip. In recent months, Abu Shabab has become one of the most controversial figures operating in Gaza not for his ideology, but for his direct cooperation with the Israeli forces. According to multiple sources, including Israeli officials, Abu Shabab now heads a militia known locally as the Popular Forces, composed of 100-300 armed men, drawn mainly from powerful clans of southern Gaza. The group operates primarily in and around eastern Rafah and near the Kerem Shalom crossing, where it has taken control of key aid corridors under the protection of Israeli military units or at least tolerated by them. According to Abu Shabab, their mission is to block Hamas' access to humanitarian aid, but in practice, the group has been widely accused of looting aid convoys, extorting truck drivers, and diverting essential supplies such as flour, medicine, fuel, and tents. One major incident in November 2024 involved the seizure of over 90 United Nations trucks, which were stripped almost entirely of their contents before reaching the distribution points. While Israeli officials defend the arming of clan-based militias as a tactical move to weaken Hamas without deploying more ground troops, human rights observers and UN agencies warn that it has opened the door to lawlessness and warlord-style rule over desperately needed aid. At the centre of it all is Abu Shabab, a man whose power now rests not on legitimacy among his people, but on assisting Israeli army and willingness to exploit the hunger and chaos of a besieged population. Multiple sources inside Gaza, including aid workers and residents near the Kerem Shalom crossing, describe Yasser Abu Shabab as the key architect of the looting operations that have plagued aid convoys for months. Witnesses recount seeing his fighters, sometimes accompanied by men in civilian clothes, intercept trucks as soon as they entered southern Gaza. Under his direct orders, entire shipments of flour, rice, and canned goods were diverted to storage sites controlled by his group, often to be sold on the black market or redistributed through clan-linked networks. Several drivers reported being threatened at gunpoint if they refused to cooperate, as some of them were forced to pay protection simply to pass. Humanitarian officials say the scale and organisation of the thefts suggest a centralised command and point to Abu Shabab's presence during several high-profile raids. 'This isn't chaotic looting by hungry people. This is a system, and Abu Shabab is running it,' one UN worker who spoke on condition of anonymity said. In response to Abu Shabab's violent raids and the escalating looting of aid convoys, Hamas, faced with growing public anger and the deepening humanitarian crisis, has taken the unusual step of publicly acknowledging the threat posed by rogue armed groups operating under Israeli protection. Diyaa Al-Nasara, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry in Gaza, confirmed in a press release that Hamas has activated what it calls the 'Popular and Revolutionary Committees' to combat aid looting and confront what he described as 'bandits' obstructing the delivery of life-saving aid. 'People are being forced to buy from thieves,' he said, referring to the widespread diversion of food and fuel. According to Hamas officials, these new units have carried out at least a dozen raids across Rafah and Khan Younis, resulting in direct confrontations with looters. For Hamas, the issue is not just humanitarian, it is a matter of sovereignty. By mobilising against Abu Shabab's forces, the group is signalling that it will not tolerate a parallel authority backed by Israeli arms, even in the midst of war. In late May and again in mid-June, Gaza's hunger-stricken residents faced a deadly gamble when they queued for food at various US-backed distribution hubs. One of the worst occurred on 27 May in Rafah's Tel Al-Sultan, where thousands gathered at a site overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). As aid trucks rolled in, panic erupted. Witnesses say civilians, including starved families, surged forward only to be met with live fire from nearby Israeli forces. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 60 injured. A second outbreak of violence on 14 June, this time near the Netzarim corridor, left at least 15 dead at another US-backed aid point. Locals describe screaming and chaos as bullets reportedly rained down on desperate crowds. For many on the ground, these were not tragic accidents, they were the harrowing result of distributing food in heavily militarised zones, where what should have been a lifeline became a horrific, deadly trap. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that since the GHF programme began in late May, approximately 274 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,000 injured at US distribution points. With Gaza's land crossings sealed and its airspace dominated by drones, even the sea has been closed off to those trying to help. The Madleen flotilla, a civilian aid ship organised by international solidarity groups, was intercepted by Israeli forces before it could reach Gaza's shore last week. For many people in Gaza, what happened to the Madleen aid boat was an effort to bring help blocked before it could reach them. 'They stop the ships just like they stop the aid trucks. My people are hungry, trapped, and forgotten,' a Palestinian man currently staying in Egypt said. Meanwhile, internet and mobile communications were partially restored in Gaza after a four-day total blackout, offering a brief lifeline to residents and humanitarian workers who had been completely cut off from the outside world. Local sources confirmed that technicians, braving dangerous conditions and scarce resources, managed to restore parts of the network in Gaza City and sections of the northern Strip on Friday. The outage, caused by damage to critical infrastructure amid relentless Israeli bombardment, had crippled emergency coordination and severely disrupted aid operations, leaving people unable to call for help or share their suffering with the outside world. In a place where even the delivery of aid has become a deadly gamble, the communications breakdown served as yet another painful reminder of Gaza's isolation, a silence that speaks volumes about the depth of the crisis. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, 55,297 Palestinians have been killed and over 128,426 injured by Israel as of 7 October, 2023. * A version of this article appears in print in the 19 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
The National
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Who are the Abu Shabab armed militia that Israel is backing in Gaza?
In unusual public statement last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted 'activating' Palestinian militias in Gaza. Acting on the advice of security officials, he said, it was a way to weaken Hamas and protect Israeli soldiers. The admission came after Israeli media reported that Mr Netanyahu had authorised the arming of a militia, known as the Abu Shabab Popular Forces, in the southern Gaza Strip. The group is named after its leader, Yasser Abu Shabab. Now, Hamas has a new rival amid its battle with Israel. Hamas fighters have retaliated at the gang and claimed to have killed dozens from its small-but-growing ranks. It is believed that there are only 300 men serving Abu Shabab but sources told The National they are armed with assault rifles and are equipped with walkie-talkies and night-vision goggles. Among them are men with criminal records and links to ISIS. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to experts about the origins of Abu Shabab, why the group is surfacing now and how Israel is backing it. She is joined by Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relation's Mena programme, and Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Euronews
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
One passenger survives London-bound Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad
Hamas "brutally attacked" a bus carrying the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) staff to a distribution site near the southern city of Khan Yunis on Wednesday night, killing at least five, the US-backed charity said. "There are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage," GHF said in a statement. The five killed staff members are Palestinian. 'We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,' GHF said. 'These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons, and friends, who were risking their lives everyday to help others.' The killings early Wednesday were carried out by the Hamas Sahm police unit, which Hamas claims it established to combat looting. The unit released video footage showing several dead men lying in the street, saying they were Abu Shabab militia fighters who had been detained and killed for collaborating with Israel. It was not possible to verify the images or the claims around them. Abu Shabab officials denied that the images showed members of their militia. Israel's foreign ministry reacted to the news by stating on X that "Hamas is weaponising suffering in Gaza -- denying food, targeting lifesavers and forsaking its own people." Reverend Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical advisor to US President Donald Trump who was recently appointed head of GHF, called the killings 'absolute evil' and lashed out at the UN and Western countries over what he said was their failure to condemn them. 'The principle of impartiality does not mean neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good and what Hamas did to these Gazans is absolute evil,' he wrote on X. Israel and the US say the new system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid from the long-standing UN-run distribution scheme, which is capable of delivering food, fuel and other humanitarian assistance to all parts of Gaza. UN officials deny there has been any systematic diversion of aid by Hamas, and instead say they have struggled to deliver it because of Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza. The GHF began operating in late May, stating it has distributed more than 7 million meals worth of food during the first week of its mandate. However, its work has been marred by deadly shootings which have taken place near some of its four aid distribution centres in recent weeks. On Wednesday, at least 25 people were reportedly killed near a GHF convoy in the Netzarim corridor in Gaza, according to two hospitals there. The GHF has claimed it has faced continued threats from Hamas, saying on Saturday this has "made it impossible" to operate in Gaza. Hamas has denied this, in turn accusing the GHF of "failing on all levels". An Air India plane bound for London's Gatwick airport with 232 passengers and 12 crew members on board has crashed on takeoff at Ahmedabad airport on Thursday. Air India, whose numbers differed from those of the national civil aviation authority, reported that two fewer people, or 242, were on board, including crew. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals on board, according to the airline. The police first said there were no survivors of those on board. However, one passenger has survived the crash and has been hospitalised, according to authorities. The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed into a residential area close to the airport shortly after takeoff. Local media reported that the aircraft crashed into a medical staff hostel in Ahmedabad shortly after it left the runway. Unverified photos show the tail of the plane lodged in a building with plumes of black smoke billowing behind it. It is unclear how many were injured on the ground. Police Commissioner GS Malik said "some (residents) would have also died" in the wreckage. "Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained,' Malik added. He later told the press that at least 41 were taken to hospital for treatment. Malik also told India's ANI news agency that one of the passengers, identified by his seat number 11A, survived the crash and "has been in the hospital and is under treatment". The flight manifest made public by authorities identifies the person in seat 11A as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a UK citizen. "We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after takeoff," tracking website Flight Radar wrote in a post on X. The Air India flight was scheduled to arrive at 6:25 pm local time (7:25 pm CEST). Videos from the scene show a low-flying aircraft trailing flames and descending toward a residential neighbourhood before bursting into orange and black smoke. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy "heartbreaking beyond words". Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes of a "London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.' The UK Foreign Office has arranged crisis teams in India and the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. "My thoughts, and I'm sure those of the entire House, are with those who've been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning," Lammy told the House of Commons. "We know that British nationals were on board and I can confirm that the FCDO is working urgently with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London." India's Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said he was "shocked and devastated" when news of the crash in the Indian state of Gujarat broke. "We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action," Ram Mohan Naidu said. "Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families." The jet was 11 years old. This is the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft, which was introduced in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Boeing said it was aware of reports and "working to gather more information." Air India's Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said that the company's "primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.' The UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors on Thursday formally found that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran later this year. Iran immediately responded to the International Atomic Energy Agency board's vote, stating that it will establish a new enrichment facility. The announcement said the facility will be 'in a secure location". 'The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,' the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said in a joint statement. Nineteen countries on the IAEA's board, which represents the agency's member nations, voted for the resolution, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-door vote. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, 11 abstained ,and two did not vote. In the draft resolution seen by media outlets, the board of governors renews a call on Iran to provide answers 'without delay' in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found at several locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States proposed the resolution. In Brussels, the European Commission expressed support for the text and called on Iran to "restore full cooperation with the agency and fully implement its obligations". "We call on Iran to show restraint and avoid any step that would further escalate the situation," a Commission spokesperson said on Thursday afternoon. The vote comes at a sensitive time, as tensions in the region have been rising. On Wednesday, the US State Department announced that it is drawing down the presence of non-essential personnel in the Middle East. The European Commission said its "limited" diplomatic presence on the ground had been "informed" about the Pentagon's plan, but that no evacuation order would be issued to its staff for now. US President Donald Trump has previously said that Israel or Washington could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed. The US and Iran have been holding talks on Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. Oman's foreign minister said earlier Thursday that a sixth round of negotiations will be held in his country on Sunday. The draft resolution makes a direct reference to the US-Iran talks, stressing its 'support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear program, including the talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses all international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to constructively engage in diplomacy.' This article has been updated to reflect the European Commission's reaction.
Middle East Eye
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
‘Popular Forces': Who are the Gaza gangsters being armed by Israel?
In a small area of land in Rafah, a new group has emerged from the shadows of Israel's war on the Palestinian enclave. Led by drug smugglers, aid looters and militants linked to groups across the border in Egypt, Popular Forces, as they call themselves, have been exercising their power in southern Gaza, under gang leader and former prisoner Yasser Abu Shabab. Last month, the group created a new Facebook page, with slick videos and a new logo. The marketing drive coincided with Israel admitting to arming Abu Shabab's gang, in what appears to be an attempt to sow chaos and embolden anti-Hamas elements in Gaza. Middle East Eye takes a look at Abu Shabab, his associates, and why Israel has chosen to lend its support. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Who is Yasser Abu Shabab? Yasser Abu Shabab, born in eastern Rafah in the early 1990s, hails from the influential Tarabin Bedouin tribe, which stretches across the Sinai, Gaza and southern Israel. He dropped out of school at an early age, building a reputation for trafficking cigarettes, hashish and psychoactive drugs through tunnels and crossings into Gaza. Family members say he smuggled items from Egypt and Israel. In 2015, Hamas detained Abu Shabab on drug trafficking charges and eventually sentenced him to 25 years in prison. But in October 2023, during the early days of the war on Gaza, Abu Shabab escaped the Asda prison in western Khan Younis, amid Israeli bombardment. The circumstances around his escape remain murky. What have his gang been doing during the war? Following their escape, Abu Shabab and his allies assembled a few hundred men and called themselves the Popular Forces in Arabic. The group exerts control over an area of southern Gaza near the Kerem Shalom crossing, which connects Gaza, Israel and Egypt. Abu Shabab has said he leads 'a group of citizens from this community who have volunteered to protect humanitarian aid from looting and corruption'. On Facebook, the group describes itself as "a voice of truth against terrorism for a safe homeland for all". 'Their utility lies in their ability to destabilise Hamas from within' – Andreas Krieg, security expert A leaked UN memo described their base as a 'military-like compound' in a zone 'restricted, controlled and patrolled' by Israeli forces. According to Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Abu Shabab's gang is engaged in several activities. These include, he writes, looting UN aid and selling some of it on the black market; carrying out reconnaissance missions on behalf of Israeli authorities; and acting as a proxy militia for Israel in areas that it has depopulated. It has also been accused of cooperating with the controversial Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). An unnamed diplomatic official told CNN that the GHF, whether directly or indirectly, had contact with Abu Shabab. The scandal-ridden GHF has denied any involvement. 'We do have local Palestinian workers we are very proud of, but none is armed and they do not belong to Abu Shabab's organisation,' it said. In November, Abu Shabab admitted that his men had raided a few trucks. 'We are taking trucks so we can eat, not so we can sell,' he said. 'Every hungry person is taking aid.' Several truck drivers have accused Abu Shabab's forces of intercepting aid deliveries and forcing them to unload goods. There were reports in early May that Israeli forces attacked shop owners and police officers who were attempting to protect shops from looting and chaos caused by the gangsters. Asaad al-Kafarna, a police officer in Gaza, was killed by Israeli forces near a restaurant on 2 May after pursuing gangsters accused of looting and collaborating with Israel's military. How are the gang linked to Islamic State? Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli opposition politician, recently said that Abu Shabab and his forces were connected to the Islamic State group, or Isis (IS). Andreas Krieg, an academic at King's College London and an expert on security, told MEE: "While some individuals from the tribe have been involved in smuggling and, in some cases, collaborated with Sinai-based Isis affiliates, the tribe itself is not ideologically aligned with jihadist groups. 'In fact, many Tarabin members in Sinai have fought against Isis alongside the Egyptian military.' Key figures in Abu Shabab's groups have longstanding links with militant groups. One of them, Issam al-Nabahin, joined the Sinai chapter of IS in the mid-2010s. A damaged building in northern Sinai, Egypt in January 2015, where at least 30 soldiers and police officers were killed by Islamic State-allied groups (Reuters) According to media reports, he was part of a group of Palestinians who fought in the insurgency against Egypt's army, and were involved in the killing of civilians. Hamas and Egypt cooperated to arrest and kill the militants, but Nabahin evaded capture. Nabahin re-emerged in 2023, when Hamas arrested him and sentenced him to death. But he escaped before his execution and has since resurfaced as part of Abu Shabab's forces. Another senior figure in the Popular Forces is Ghassan al-Dahini. He was formerly an official in the Army of Islam, a Palestinian group allied with IS in Sinai. He reportedly managed smuggling and communications between the Army of Islam and militant groups in Sinai. Dahini has been arrested at least twice by Hamas police in Gaza. During one arrest attempt, he killed a Palestinian policeman. He, like Nabahin and Abu Shabab, escaped imprisonment following the outbreak of Israel's war. He now serves as the deputy of the Popular Forces. Why is Israel arming these gangsters? Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has admitted to arming Abu Shabab's gang. '"We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas… What's wrong with that?' he said in a post on X last week. "It's only good. It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers." The gangs have been armed with Kalashnikovs and pistols that were taken by Israeli forces from Hamas and Hezbollah, according to Maariv. Israel's Shin Bet security service, Maariv reported, suggested that even if Abu Shabab were to turn around and point the weapons towards Israel, the effect would be negligible. Krieg said that it was a 'calculated strategy' to reduce Israel's military and administrative burden in Gaza by 'cultivating local surrogate actors'. 'By leveraging tribal networks and local knowledge, groups like the Popular Forces enable Israel to exert indirect control while avoiding the reputational and operational costs of reoccupation,' he said. What has been the impact on Hamas? Krieg said that the presence of the Popular Front forces Hamas to fight on multiple fronts, undermining its monopoly on coercive power. 'Although the Popular Forces lack popular legitimacy and are widely seen as criminal collaborators, their utility lies in their ability to destabilise Hamas from within,' said Krieg. Israeli troops in Rafah, southern Gaza, in October 2024 (Israeli Army handout/AFP) Hamas has killed at least 50 members of Abu Shabab's forces, the group said earlier this week. Ynet reported that Abu Shabab's militia had killed six members of Hamas' 'Arrow' unit, which is responsible for targeting collaborators with Israel. Israeli media also reported that an Israeli drone strike targeted Hamas fighters while they were clashing with members of Abu Shabab's militia. Do the Popular Forces have support beyond Israel? It is not immediately clear if the gang has other external backers. Since May, the group has created social media accounts and posted professionally produced propaganda videos, which may have been made with outside help. Israel cuts Gaza internet as dozens more aid seekers killed Read More » 'While direct evidence of regional sponsorship is lacking, there are suggestive indicators,' said Krieg. One of Abu Shabab's militiamen was recently pictured driving a vehicle with an Emirati number plate, 'an unusual and conspicuous detail in the context of besieged Gaza,' according to Krieg. 'This, combined with his group's anti-Hamas posture, has fuelled speculation that actors aligned with the UAE, which has a well-documented history of supporting anti-Islamist surrogates in Libya, Yemen and Sudan, may be involved indirectly,' he said. There is no direct evidence of UAE backing. A Palestinian official told i24news that an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was directly communicating with the gang. Abu Shabab's gang has said that it is working under the umbrella of 'Palestinian legitimacy', a phrase often used by leaders of Fatah, who are longstanding rivals of Hamas. PA spokesperson Anwar Rajab has denied any connection between the PA and Abu Shabab. Will the Popular Front have a post-war role? As things stand, it appears unlikely that the Popular Forces will play any serious long-term role in Gaza after the war. Military sources told Maariv that Israeli support was only part of a short-term tactical move. 'These gangs cannot be a substitute for a long-term strategic plan. As an alternative to Hamas, a move must be built with countries in the region that will build a governing structure that will replace Hamas," one source said. 'Israel has a long track record of inadvertently creating surrogate Frankenstein monsters' – Andreas Krieg, security expert According to Krieg, the militia is too small, criminally tainted and politically toxic to serve as a viable governing force. 'Their limited size and lack of legitimacy among Palestinians, compounded by their open collaboration with Israeli forces, render them structurally incapable of administering territory or managing civil affairs in a sustainable way,' he said. Krieg added that Israel had no incentive to formalise relations with a group whose existence could disrupt broader diplomatic efforts with Arab states. 'But Israel has a long track record of inadvertently creating surrogate Frankenstein monsters in the short-term that then develop lives of their own.'
Morocco World
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Israel Is Using Criminal Militias to Collapse Gaza from Within
Rabat – Just when it seems that the situation in Gaza couldn't grow more horrific—with over 55,000 people killed, tens of thousands still buried beneath rubble, and hundreds of thousands injured without access to basic medical care—a new threat has emerged from within. Amid the carnage, a criminal gang has surfaced, openly collaborating with the Israeli occupation under the pretense of fighting Hamas. The gang, organized by the 'Popular Forces' is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a Palestinian from Gaza who has been anti-Hamas with a militia backed by the occupation. The gang has now stepped out of the shadows, attempting to portray itself as a victim as it claims Hamas killed at least 50 of its members. The Israel-affiliated militia says its 'volunteers' were targeted while 'guarding aid convoys and redistributing supplies that were otherwise destined for corrupt entities linked to Hamas.' However, these allegations are contradicted by Israeli media reports this week, which revealed that members of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) intervened in clashes between Hamas fighters and the militia in order to protect Abu Shabab. Israeli media also confirmed that an Israeli drone strike targeted Hamas fighters mid-battle—marking the first known Israeli strike in Gaza conducted solely to support the Abu Shabab gang. The militia is also said to have killed six members of Hamas' 'Arrow' unit, a specialized group responsible for identifying Palestinian collaborators with Israel. Wide speculation about Israel's involvement with the ISIS-affiliated gang dates back to late May, when Abu Shabab was spotted in Gaza during the launch of the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Quds News Network reported that Abu Shabab has resurfaced in Gaza under the guise of 'securing aid,' wearing security uniforms and claiming to protect humanitarian deliveries—while in reality looting the aid and reselling it at extortionate prices. Although these gangs have received more attention recently, Palestinian media report that they have been operating since at least 2024, primarily based in Rafah. They reportedly set up staging areas near IOF positions and aid distribution sites, giving them immediate access to incoming supplies. These claims are supported by a report from Israeli outlet i24NEWS, which quoted an Israeli source saying that the entity has been transferring weapons to armed groups in Gaza for the past two years. Netanyahu's forces A convicted drug trafficker, Abu Shabab is believed to be running a criminal network stretching from Gaza to the Sinai, where Islamic State groups control the smuggling routes. Now 35, Abu Shabab was serving a long prison sentence for possession of large quantities of drugs before escaping amid the chaos of Israel's assault on Gaza in October 2023. A Gaza-based security officer told The New Arab that Abu Shabab's rise to power as a gang leader was baffling, describing him as a 'weak, short, uncharismatic, illiterate' man with no military background. The so-called Popular Forces have effectively become subcontractors for the Israeli genocide in Gaza, reportedly handling reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions for the Israeli occupation forces. The militia is believed to comprise between 100 and 300 members, including former Palestinian security officer Ghassan al-Dahini, now Abu Shabab's right-hand man. Al-Dahini recently shared a video of himself firing a Kalashnikov, though public outrage focused more on the license plate of his car, which bore the name of the UAE's Sharjah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly admitted to arming local clans to counter Hamas—an admission that confirms their role as an extension of the IOF). His statement came just hours after former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman revealed that the Israeli-backed gang is affiliated with ISIS. Looted aid and extortionist prices Gaza residents have confirmed that these armed gangs are looting aid under the protection of the IOF. 'The aid comes down at specific times, and we have specific times to go. Most of the time, we go [to the aid point] and find nothing,' said one witness on social media. 'Why? Because there are gangs, groups, and families with weapons who attack the aid right in front of everyone, take it by force, and no one is allowed to get close,' the witness continued. The stolen aid is then sold at extortionate prices. The prices are nothing short of psychological torture for a people that Israel has been starving systematically: a bag of flour has reached $500, a kilo of meat $150, a kilo of sugar $80, a kilo of onions $70, and a liter of oil $40. 'I've reached a point where every time I see someone selling aid on the street, I just walk away,' said the witness about the prices that are impossible to afford unless one has a constant stream of donations. While Palestinians have long spoken about the soaring prices of what should be humanitarian aid, none have publicly addressed the gangs responsible—likely out of fear. That some are now speaking out may indicate just how desperate the situation has become. 'If anyone dares to speak up, if anyone knows who these gangs are, they kill them. This is what's happening,' said the source. Execution testimony Palestinian poet and genocide survivor Mosab Abu Toha recently shared on social media the testimony of a journalist in Rafah, who remained anonymous for safety reasons. According to the journalist, on June 9, people rushed to a distribution site in Rafah after hearing gunfire, assuming aid had arrived. About two miles from the site, they encountered gunmen who ordered them to queue up—100 at a time—before being allowed in. After hours of waiting, the gunmen began executing people before driving away. Abu Toha noted that these men spoke in a fluent Palestinian dialect, helping them gain the trust of locals. He emphasized that after gunning down desperate aid-seekers, they headed toward Rafah—where both the GHF aid site and the IOF were stationed. While pacifying its Western with the illusion of humanitarian aid through GHF— condemned by the United Nations as a 'death trap' within days of its launch–Israel advances its expansionist agenda by forcibly concentrating Palestinians into the South of Gaza. Its reliance on criminal militias to counter Hamas, sow disorder and obstruct aid delivery is not only a reflection of Israel's moral decay, but also an admittance of its failure to dismantle the resistance 20 months into its rabid genocide.
