Who is behind the militia cooperating with Israel? By late May, Palestinian sources were already reporting on a new armed group operating in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, taking control of aid convoys.
At its head is Yasser Abu Shabab, a Palestinian who was previously imprisoned by Hamas. According to Hamas-linked sources, he escaped during an Israeli Air Force strike earlier in the war. He now commands a force estimated between 100 and 300 gunmen.
Abu Shabab's clan belongs to the Tarabin tribe, one of the largest in Gaza. In the previous decade, some members of the tribe worked with the Islamic State terrorist organization as part of a smuggling network between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, an enterprise in which Hamas was also deeply involved. Despite this history, the clan itself has no ideological affiliation with the Islamic State.
Hamas has accused Abu Shabab of stealing aid shipments. A source within the group described him as "a tool used by Israel to fragment the internal Palestinian front." In late May, Hamas fighters attacked members of the new militia and published disturbing footage of the incident through its propaganda channels. In one video, a terrorist detonates an explosive device remotely, killing several militia members.
"Hamas has lost its legitimacy"
"The campaigns against us have only strengthened our resolve," said a spokesperson for the popular forces earlier this week. "The de facto government [Hamas], which lost its legitimacy in protests attended by hundreds, does not want to see any area liberated. It wants to continue looting humanitarian supplies in the name of the people, conduct that has brought ruin and destruction. Today, we declare that a broad area in eastern Rafah has been cleared. Hundreds of families who support our vision now live there. We have secured international aid for the residents and guarantee their return will be coordinated with the Palestinian legitimacy [meaning the Palestinian Authority]."
In an audio recording, Abu Shabab urged families in eastern Rafah to return home safely: "Medicine, food, adequate housing, and security have been provided. The 'popular forces' were established to defend our people from the oppression and terror of the de facto government, to counter chaos, corruption, hunger, murders, threats, and organized looting. Even after the surge in resistance to its rule, the de facto government still seeks to control and trade humanitarian aid on the black market. We have taken it upon ourselves to confront these acts."
A source in Gaza described the developments as "a highly significant shift that could attract many local residents."
Meanwhile, the Hamas terrorist organization issued a statement today accusing Abu Shabab's militia of "treason," claiming that "Avigdor Liberman's remarks revealed a dangerous truth about Israel arming criminal gangs in Gaza."
