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Hamas says slain Gaza gang leader Abu Shabab met ‘inevitable fate’
The Palestinian group says the killing of Yasser Abu Shabab in Gaza is “the inevitable fate of all who betray their people and homeland and are content to be tools in the hands of the [Israeli] occupation”.
As we reported, Abu Shabab led an armed group said to have received Israel’s support as part of an effort to weaken Hamas. His so-called Popular Forces were also accused of looting humanitarian aid during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
“The criminal acts perpetrated by the so-called Yasser Abu Shabab and his gang represent a blatant departure from the national and social consensus,” Hamas said in a statement on Telegram.
“We affirm the occupation, which failed to protect its own agents, will be unable to protect any of its lackeys, and the fate of all who tamper with the security of their people and serve their enemy is to fall into the dustbin of history, losing all respect and standing in their society.”
More on Israeli collaborator killed in Gaza
Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin tribal leader based in Israeli-held Rafah in southern Gaza, led the most prominent of several small anti-Hamas groups that emerged during Israel’s genocidal war that began more than two years ago.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in June that Israel armed anti-Hamas clans, though Israel has announced few other details of the policy since then.
- Abu Shabab’s group has continued to operate from areas of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces since Hamas and Israel reached a US-backed ceasefire in October.
- Rafah has been the scene of some of the worst violence during the ceasefire. Residents reported gunbattles there on Wednesday, and Israel said four of its soldiers were wounded. The Israeli military said on Thursday its forces killed some 40 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels below Rafah.
- On November 18, Abu Shabab’s group posted a video showing dozens of fighters receiving orders from his deputy to launch a security sweep to “clear Rafah of terror” – an apparent reference to Hamas fighters holed up there.
- After his killing, the Popular Forces militia pledged to continue Abu Shabab’s path and to “fight terrorism” in Gaza.
‘Writing on the wall’ for anti-Hamas militia leader
Israel’s policy of backing anti-Hamas armed groups took shape after it launched its devastating war on Gaza in October 2023.
In an article published in the Wall Street Journal in July, Yasser Abu Shabab – a member of the Tarabin Bedouin tribe – said his Popular Forces established its own administration in the Rafah area and urged US and Arab nations to recognise and support it.
Abu Shabab’s group has denied being backed by Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu said in June that Israel’s backing for Gaza clans saved the lives of Israeli soldiers.
But the policy has also drawn criticism from some in Israel who say such groups can provide no real alternative to Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007.
“The writing was on the wall – whether he was killed by Hamas or in some clan infighting – it was obvious that it would end this way,” said Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv.
Several other anti-Hamas groups have emerged in areas of Gaza held by Israel. Palestinian political analyst Reham Owda said Abu Shabab’s death will fuel doubts among them about their “ability to challenge Hamas”.
Israel ‘discarded’ Gaza gang leader ‘into dustbin of history’
Muhammad Shehada, a Palestinian political analyst, says Israel has used Abu Shabab’s gang to advance two main goals in Gaza: looting aid and forcing Palestinians into a “concentration camp” in Rafah in the south of the enclave.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said at the time Palestinians in the “humanitarian sterile zone” would not be allowed to access the rest of the Strip, and would eventually be pushed out of the territory, Shehada told Al Jazeera.
“The Israelis understood that if the [Israeli army] calls on people to move into such a concentration camp, nobody would show up. But if they get a Palestinian – dressed up in a Palestinian uniform with a Palestinian flag on it – they might fool some people into moving there,” he said.
“Otherwise, Israel has been using [Abu Shabab’s militia] for hit-and-run operations, kidnapping, torture, extorting, collecting intelligence, going into areas that are too dangerous for the [army] or going into areas before the [army] to clear them out.”
Shehada added Abu Shabab’s killing marks a “very heavy hit” for Israel’s efforts in Gaza, in part because it demonstrates to the other leaders of Palestinian armed groups receiving Israeli support that they will not be protected.
“As soon as [Abu Shabab] got killed, Israel discarded him into the dustbin of history,” Shehada said.
