Gaza militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab has been killed. His group Popular Forces and Israeli media have confirmed his death. Abu Shabab—who attempted to position himself as an Israel-backed alternative to Hamas—was widely viewed by most Palestinians as a collaborator with Israel, and he faced intense criticism.
Around 30 years old and belonging to the Bedouin Tarabin tribe of southern Gaza, Abu Shabab was not widely known in the Palestinian enclave before he rose to lead the militia last year. His group, initially named the “Counter-Terrorism Service,” rebranded itself as Popular Forces by May this year. It was a unit of at least 100 armed fighters operating in Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza.
The group functioned somewhere between a criminal gang and an Israeli proxy force, though it presented itself as a nationalist Palestinian faction dedicated to fighting Hamas. For many Palestinians, however, Abu Shabab was a criminal. Even before the war in Gaza, he had been imprisoned on drug-related charges and escaped after the conflict began. As Israel’s assault killed more than 70,120 people in Gaza, his alliance with Israel made him unacceptable in the eyes of most Palestinians. His own tribe issued a statement calling his killing “the end of a dark chapter that does not represent the tribe’s history.”
Ideology and Controversy
Abu Shabab’s ideology is difficult to determine. Many observers believe he was motivated more by a desire for power than by any coherent political commitment. While his group initially used “counterterrorism” rhetoric, this did not align with reports of his ties to ISIL (ISIS). These ties were believed to be linked to smuggling operations between Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Gaza.
He often posted in English and even published an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal, in which he claimed his group controlled large parts of eastern Rafah in southern Gaza and was “ready to build a new future.”
Although he tried to downplay his links with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted in June that his government was using armed groups to fight Hamas—media reports confirmed these groups were Abu Shabab’s forces.
Accusations of Stealing Humanitarian Aid
The Popular Forces attempted to present themselves as a group helping distribute essential aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Abu Shabab told CNN he led a group of community volunteers protecting humanitarian aid from theft and corruption.
However, he and his militia were later accused of stealing from aid trucks. An internal UN memo obtained by The Washington Post described him as “the main and most influential actor behind organized large-scale looting.” Gaza security sources also told Al Jazeera Arabic that the Israel-backed group had been involved in looting.
As Israel’s blockade and destruction of Palestinian infrastructure left Gaza facing famine, these allegations strengthened the perception that Abu Shabab was acting as an Israeli agent (proxy).
Therefore, it is unsurprising that even those who opposed Hamas did not mourn his death. The circumstances of his killing remain unclear—just like his background and his ambiguous role during the war.
Ultimately, once it became clear that he lacked the power and support needed to become a genuine alternative to Hamas, his fate was almost inevitable.
