|
Popular Forces
The Popular Forces, also known as Anti-Terror Service, is a Palestinians, Palestinian Criticism of Hamas, anti-Hamas armed group active in the Gaza Strip and led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The Popular Forces are Israel, Israeli-backed and allegedly Islamic State (IS)-linked. The group, which has been described as a gang or militia, is made up of approximately 300 men who operate in eastern Rafah. Israeli support for the Popular Forces was only revealed in June 2025, but the group has been active since the beginning of the Rafah offensive in May 2024. The Popular Forces were able to come to power in Rafah during the Gaza war amid the power vacuum left by a weakened Hamas. The Popular Forces control territory and aid routes near the Egypt–Gaza border, and have been accused of looting Humanitarian aid during the Gaza war, humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, described by a United Nations official as "grand larceny". The group maintains that it protects civilians from "the terror ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yasser Abu Shabab
Yasser Abu Shabab (born 19 December 1993) is a Palestinians, Palestinian militant, drug trafficker and leader of the Popular Forces, an Israel, Israeli-backed anti-Hamas armed group in the Gaza Strip allegedly linked to the Islamic State (IS). He belongs to the Bedouin tribe of Tarabin Bedouin, Tarabin in Rafah. Abu Shabab has emerged as a local opposition figure to Hamas during the ongoing Gaza war. In May 2024, his group began looting aid trucks, claiming he was providing security for humanitarian aid convoys entering Gaza during the Rafah offensive. Abu Shabab was reportedly the mastermind behind the Kerem Shalom aid convoy looting. Israel began providing Abu Shabab's group with weapons and equipment in 2025. As of June 2025, he has reportedly seized control over eastern Rafah. Early life, smuggling, and prison Abu Shabab was born in eastern Rafah in early 1990s. He is a member of Tarabin Bedouin tribe, which has influence across the Sinai Peninsula, Sinai, Gaza Strip and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |