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The Abu Shabab armed group in Gaza coordinates with the Israeli military
The overwhelming majority of the Abu Shabab armed group are either “convicted murderers, thieves, collaborators, drug dealers or members of ISIS [ISIL] in Sinai or in Gaza itself”, Muhammad Shehada, senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, tells Al Jazeera.
He said the armed group “shares the same predicament with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu: Criminals on the run from authority who know that as soon as the genocide in Gaza is over, they might be in prison”.
He said there is a clear connection between the Israeli military and the armed group, which is proven by the fact that its fighters can operate in areas the Israeli military designates as “extermination zones”.
“To have in the very deep heart of Rafah that Israel wiped out completely, allowing [the Abu Shabab armed group] to have a military complex and warehouses to store giant piles of looted aid … there is a zero-percent chance that this is not coordinated with Israel”, Shehada said.
‘No willingness’ among Palestinians in Gaza to join Abu Shabab armed group: Report
The Abu Shabab armed group, which Israel is reported to have armed in the Gaza Strip, is struggling to establish a real grip on the ground, according to a report by Israeli media outlet Ynet News.
Despite the fact that some 400 people in Gaza have joined its ranks, it has only managed to establish a foothold in the Rafah buffer zone and suffers from deep distrust among Palestinians, Ynet reported.
The outlet said there is “no willingness” among Palestinians in Gaza to join its ranks.
It quoted a father from Gaza who said, “Who would trust Abu Shabab? This is a group of people who looted, stole and killed. He [leader Yasser Abu Shabab] himself was in prison. How do you know he won’t kill me or my children? It sounds like a death trap.”
