Who killed Yasser Abu Shabab? Murder of Israeli-backed militia leader a setback for Netanyahu

Yasser Abu Shabab, leader of the Popular Forces, a prominent anti-Hamas militia in Gaza, was killed in the southern city of Rafah on Thursday. An Israeli security official confirmed his death, although accounts from the ground offered conflicting details. Some reports  suggested he was shot during a violent incident in Gaza, while the Popular Forces stated  that he died while trying to de-escalate a dispute between members of a local family in a  public square. The group rejected claims that Hamas had assassinated him, asserting that Hamas was far too weak to carry out such an operation.

Other accounts explained the killing as the result of internal clashes or a broader power struggle within Gaza. Rumours circulated that a confrontation erupted when Abu Shabab allegedly refused to release a hostage taken by his men, prompting fighters from a powerful local family to attack a Popular Forces base. After the shooting, two Israeli sources said that Israel attempted to evacuate him to a hospital in the south of the country, and Israel’s Army Radio reported that he succumbed to his wounds after being taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. The hospital denied that he had died under its care.

Abu Shabab, believed to be in his early thirties and a member of the Bedouin Tarabin tribe, had risen to prominence last year as the head of a militia operating in areas of Gaza controlled by Israel. He claimed that his group numbered in the hundreds, and it was often described as the largest and best-equipped among the militias that emerged late in the conflict. Israel armed and supported the Popular Forces with the intention of weakening Hamas and establishing an alternative to its rule. Having failed to create a broader anti-Hamas coalition of community leaders, Israel turned to figures like Abu Shabab and provided them with weapons in an effort to control parts of the population and confront Hamas through local proxies.

The Popular Forces, who initially called themselves the Anti-Terror Service, mostly operated within territory held by Israel. Their fighters would mount raids into Hamas-controlled areas before withdrawing under the protection of Israeli forces. Israel planned to rely on the group to help secure reconstruction projects in the occupied parts of Gaza under the next phase of the ceasefire agreement. During the war, Abu Shabab also played a role in managing aid arriving through the Kerem Shalom crossing. His fighters worked closely with Israeli forces at aid distribution sites established by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American and Israeli-backed organisation that has since ceased operations.

The group presented itself as a nationalist force dedicated to opposing Hamas and facilitating the distribution of humanitarian assistance. However, Abu Shabab was widely viewed by Palestinians as a collaborator. His close cooperation with Israel at a time when Israeli forces were active in Gaza stripped him of legitimacy in the eyes of most Palestinians. His reputation was further tarnished by his past. He had spent years in a Gaza prison on drug-related charges before escaping early in the war. International officials accused his men of looting aid trucks, and a United Nations memo described him as a key figure in systematic and extensive looting. His own tribe publicly distanced itself from him after his death and said it marked the end of a dark chapter that did not reflect its history.

Hamas seized upon his killing and described him as a traitor who had met the fate reserved for those who betray their people. Reports from Gaza indicated that many residents celebrated his death and that few expressed any sorrow.

His killing is seen as a setback for Israel’s post-war plans, which still lack a clear governance structure for Gaza. Abu Shabab had been one of several militia leaders seeking influence in discussions of a future transitional authority under an international plan for stabilisation. Analysts say that his death, whether caused by Hamas or by internal rivalries, would reinforce doubts among other anti-Hamas factions about their ability to challenge Hamas effectively. Israel’s reliance on such groups stems from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. Abu Shabab lacked broad popular support, and his death has highlighted the risks inherent in Israel’s strategy, which critics say cannot produce a credible alternative to Hamas.