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Yasser Abu Shabab, the head of ‘Popular Forces’ militia in Gaza, was killed in Gaza on Thursday, December 5, Al Jazeera reported.
Abu Shabab hailed from southern Gaza’s Bedouin Tarabin tribe and emerged as the head of the militia group last year, and was propped up by Israel. By May 2025, the group was armed by Israel and had at least 100 fighters operating in Israeli controlled areas of Gaza.
He was dubbed by the Israeli government as an alternative to Hamas but was largely seen by Palestinians as a collaborator. The group presented itself as nationalist Palestinian group and was in opposition to Hamas.
Who was Abu Shabab before October 7?
Before October 7, Abu Shabab was in prison for a number of years on drug-related charges and he escaped jail shortly after Israel’s war on Gaza commenced. Reports also suggest he had links to the terrorist group ISIS, though most of the links are related to drug smuggling from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Gaza.
Earlier this year, he published an opinion piece in American news outlet Wall Street Journal, claiming that his Popular Forces controlled large parts of Rafah, in South Gaza and were ready to build a new future.
In June this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that his government was using armed clans to fight Hamas.
The Popular Forces and Abu Shabab have been accused of looting from aid convoys with a UN memo calling him ‘the most influential stakeholder behind systematic looting’. Al Jazeera Arabic has confirmed that the group took part in the looting.
The circumstances under which he was killed appear to be murky and details have yet to emerge, as per reports.
