Popular Forces

The Popular Forces, also known as Anti-Terror Service, is a Palestinian anti-Hamas armed group active in the Gaza Strip and led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The Popular Forces are 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 entering the Gaza Strip, described by a United Nations official as "grand larceny". The group maintains that it protects civilians from "the terror of the Hamas government" and denies large-scale looting.

In June of 2025, the Popular Forces announced that they were helping to protect aid shipments sent to distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and aid truck drivers told CNN that Abu Shabab had furnished men to protect aid convoys. In the same month, the Popular Forces and the Israel Defense Forces were accused of shooting and killing multiple Gazans seeking aid at a GHF aid site.

Israeli officials acknowledged sending weapons to the Popular Forces, as part of a program of arming and supporting anti-Hamas elements and clans in the Gaza Strip. However, Abu Shabab has denied any collaboration with Israel. Hamas, an unnamed Israeli security official, and Israeli opposition politicians such as Avigdor Lieberman, Yair Golan, and Yair Lapid have alleged that the Popular Forces is affiliated with IS, and have lambasted Israeli support of the group, Some of the prominent figures of the Popular Forces were identified as former IS militants who fought in the Sinai insurgency. A member of the European Council on Foreign Relations stated that majority of Abu Shabab's group consists of "convicted murderers, thieves, collaborators, drug dealers or members of ISIS SILin Sinai or in Gaza itself". Abu Shabab denied connections to IS, labeling the allegations as propaganda meant to sow hostility between Arabs and Israelis.

History

Origins and characteristics

The Popular Forces are led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a local clan leader, gangster, and former drug trafficker convicted and imprisoned by the Hamas government. Abu Shabab was arrested by Hamas in 2015 on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 25 years in Asda prison, located in Khan Yunis. The group was created after Abu Shabab escaped from the prison as it was bombed by Israel in October 2023. Reportedly, after his escape, Abu Shabab headed to Kerem Shalom crossing and assembled a force of a few hundred men, exerting control over the territory near it.

Under its current form and name, the group emerged in Rafah in May 2024 amid Israel's Rafah offensive. According to sources, members of the group belonged to earlier Salafi jihadist factions that opposed Hamas, former Palestinian officers, and known criminals. The group has 300 men, 50 of whom were personally recruited by Abu Shahab, while the other 250 men were allegedly recruited through the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence services. The group controls much of the Nasr neighborhood in eastern Rafah, which was significantly damaged by bombing from the IDF, as well as aid routes around the Keram Shalom border crossing, including territory 1.5 km from the crossing. The Popular Forces may be expanding into Khan Yunis, north of Rafah.

The Popular Forces are armed with assault rifles and equipped with radios and night-vision goggles. Denying being armed by Israel, Abu Shabab claims that the Popular Forces are funded by "individual efforts and donations" and that they are armed with "primitive weapons" which were inherited from local tribes. He also described his group's operations as a humanitarian project, saying that "hundreds of families" are evacuating to areas under Popular Forces control daily to escape "war and famine". Abu Shabab stated that his group are grassroots forces and that they are not an official authority, nor are they operating under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). However, Abu Shabab has stated that his gang operates "under Palestinian legitimacy", ostensibly a reference to the PA. Major General Anwar Rajab, spokesman of the Palestinian Authority security services, told CNN that there were no connections between the PA and the Popular Forces. The Guardian noted that Abu Shabab's statements often appeared contradictory and in contradiction to previous statements or verifiable evidence.

Aid looting

In 2024, amid severe food shortages in Gaza, the Popular Forces were widely accused of looting humanitarian aid by truck drivers, Gazan transportation company owners, aid workers, aid groups, and international humanitarian officials. On 16 November 2024, gangsters, including the Popular Forces, looted 109 UN aid trucks, in what NPR stated was the "biggest looting of UN aid anywhere, ever." A truck driver whose truck was ambushed by gang members said that they identified Yasser Abu Shabab as their boss. Another Gazan said that he attempted to buy flour from Abu Shabab's gang and saw the gang's gunmen guarding warehouses containing stolen food from the United Nations, and that the gunmen had threatened him with weapons.

A United Nations official posted in Gaza described these activities as "tactical, systematic, criminal looting" and the work of a "crime syndicate". Sam Rose, deputy director of the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), stated that "Law and order have broken down in the area around the Kerem Shalom crossing, which remains the main entry point of goods, and gangs are filling the power vacuum". An aid worker stated that the looting had caused widespread hunger. ''The Economist'' reported that Abu Shabab's gang had killed several drivers during the lootings, and that stolen aid was either kept by the gang or sold at inflated prices.

Connections to Israel

Multiple UN officials said that the looting could not have occurred without the help of the Israeli military. One official said “These guys are probably the only people in Gaza who can get 100 yards from an Israeli tank or Israeli soldiers without being shot”. A diplomatic official told CNN that "The fact that bu Shababis not targeted by the Israelis is a clear indication of how they see him", and alleged that collaboration existed between Abu Shabab and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (which the GHF denied, and Abu Shabab declined to comment on). Aid workers and locals stated that armed men were able to loot aid trucks "in plain sight" of the IDF. Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories stated that "theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza." Whittall later clarified that he was referring to gangs "such as Abu Shabab". Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General, stated that "The reports – the idea that the Israeli forces may be allowing looters or not doing enough to prevent ootingis frankly fairly alarming, given the responsibilities of Israel as the occupying power to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed safely". According to analysts, it is likely that Abu Shabab communicates with Israeli forces, "based on evidence of his movements in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza", and his proximity to Israeli military positions. According to The Guardian, videos posted on Abu Shabab's Facebook account show his men operating with Israeli soldiers.

In June 2025, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, alleged that Israel secretly supplies weapons to gangs in Gaza to make Hamas weaker. Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is arming anti-Hamas clans and elements in Gaza against Hamas. He stated, "On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What's wrong with that? It's only good. It only saves the lives of IDF soldiers". Associated Press confirmed that one of the groups sponsored by Israel is the Popular Forces. Reportedly, Israel has supplied Abu Shabab's group with Kalashnikov rifles, some stolen from Hamas militants. The operation was approved by Netanyahu himself. Speaking to ''The New York Times'', retired Brigadier General Shlomo Brom stated that in backing the Popular Forces, Israel is looking for "other solutions" to post-war governance of the Gaza Strip, besides Israel or the Palestinian Authority. However, ''The Economist'' disputed that Israel is tapping the Popular Forces as a post-war ruler of Gaza. Israeli support for the Popular Forces has caused controversy among Israeli opposition leaders.

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Shin Bet was allegedly responsible for the creation of the Popular Forces. Reportedly, chief of Shin Bet Ronen Bar proposed the group as an alternative to Hamas in small areas of Gaza during his talks with Benjamin Netanyahu. A security official told Ynet that Shin Bet armed the Popular Forces in a "planned and managed" manner, with the goal of "reducing Israeli military casualties while systematically undermining Hamas through targeted strikes, infrastructure destruction and the promotion of rival local forces".

In a statement, the family of Abu Shabab stated that they "were surprised by video footage broadcast by the resistance showing the involvement of Yasser’s groups within a dangerous security framework, reaching the point of operating within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces, who are brutally killing our people". The family announced its "complete disassociation" with Abu Shabab, and that it held no objections to Abu Shabab being "eliminated". Abu Shabab responded to their statements, saying that they were “fabricated and false” and that they are a part of a "media campaign" targeting him and his "colleagues". Hamas stated that Abu Shabab is "a tool used by the Israeli occupation to fragment the Palestinian internal front", and pledged to oppose him. Abu Shabab would respond by denying any collaboration with Israel.

In May and June of 2025, in what ''The New York Times'' and NPR described as a rebranding, Abu Shabab announced that his group was securing aid into the Gaza Strip, protecting routes to US and Israeli aid sites administered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Despite this, spokesperson of GHF said that the organization had "no collaboration" with Abu Shabab. He said that all GHF workers were unarmed and none belong to Abu Shabab's group. In an interview with CNN, truck drivers said that Abu Shabab provided 200 armed men to protect their convoys. In social media posts, Abu Shabab claimed responsibility for safeguarding aid trucks, and organizing and directing aid convoys. UN humanitarian agency OCHA stated that "it did not pay anyone" to guard aid trucks entering Gaza. In June 2025, Abu Shabab released videos calling on citizens of Rafah to return, promising them food, shelter, and protection in makeshift camps which were built under the watch of IDF.

Allegations of connections to the Islamic State

Israeli support for the Popular Forces has caused controversy among Israeli opposition politicians and leaders, some whom have described the move as "complete madness", due to the Popular Forces' alleged connections with IS. Former defense minister and Netanyahu rival Avigdor Libermann said, "We’re talking about the equivalent of ISIS in Gaza" and that "No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be directed towards Israel". Yesh Atid party member and Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid declared on social media, "After Netanyahu finished handing over millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to supplying weapons to groups in Gaza affiliated with ISIS – all improvised, with no strategic planning, and all leading to more disasters." Yair Golan of The Democrats party said that Netanyahu "is creating a new ticking bomb in Gaza".

Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesman Basem Naim told ''Newsweek'' that the Popular Forces has connections to ISIS, and that it is a group of "agents, drug dealers, thieves, and extremists linked to IS". The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank stated that Abu Shabab's clan, from which most Popular Forces fighters are drawn from, is connected to IS. One of the group's commanders was reported to be 33-year-old Issam Nabahin, who previously fought on the side of IS during the Sinai insurgency. Reportedly, he was sentenced to death for his crimes in 2023 but managed to escape the prison before his execution. Another prominent group member, Ghassan al-Dheini, allegedly pledged allegiance to IS in 2015 and participated in the 2007 kidnapping of BBC News journalist Alan Johnston. An unnamed Israeli security official told ''The i Paper'' that the group had close ties to "ISIS affiliates across the border in Egypt". Accusations of links to IS stem from Abu Shabab's cooperation with Egyptian Jihadist groups in smuggling drugs from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.

Several high ranking members of the Popular Forces had previously worked together with or joined the Islamic State. These include Issam al-Nabahin and Ghassan al-Dahin.

Dispute over allegations

However, Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, writing for ''Middle East Forum'', disputed the allegations that the Popular Forces is linked to IS. He argues that the group's use of the Palestinian flag in their logo and uniforms would be unacceptable to the anti-nationalist IS, even as a disguise, and that collaboration with Israel would constitute apostasy from Islam from an IS perspective. ''The Economist'' put forward a similar argument and reported that while there was no evidence of Abu Shabab claiming ties to any jihadist group, Abu Shabab's Bedouin tribe were briefly involved in cross-border smuggling with the Islamic State in the Sinai, until religious disputes emerged between themselves and IS, leading to the tribe fighting IS. ''The Guardian'' noted that the basis of Avigdor Libermann's assertions of the Popular Forces' ties to IS were not clear. Abu Shabab would deny any connections to IS, labeling them as propaganda meant to sow hostility between Arabs and Israelis.

Combat operations

2024

On September 2024, Hamas attempted to ambush and assasinate Abu Shabab by firing approximately 90 bullets at a vehicle they thought belonged to him. The vehicle actually belonged to aid worker Islam Hijazi, and she was killed in the incident.

On November 16, 2024, Abu Shabab's group raided a convoy of 109 United Nations aid trucks, looting 98 of them. In an interview with Sky News, Abu Shabab stated: "We work to ensure that aid reaches our people safely, without interference or theft". One humanitarian official said that his claims were "comical". Abu Shabab said that they were looting food so they can feed their families and neighbors, and accused Hamas of stealing aid. On November 25, 2024, days after the looting, Hamas killed more than 20 of the looters, Abu Shabab's brother among them.

2025

On May 30, 2025, Hamas uploaded a video of Abu Shabab's gunmen walking into a building before it was blown up by IED, killing several of them. Hamas described them as being Zionist collaborators and claimed that they helped IDF to inspect buildings before they moved in. The men were initially believed to have been undercover Israeli soldiers, however, an unnamed security source told Al Jazeera that the group was Abu Shabab's unit that engaged in intelligence and looting operations.

On June 9, 2025, Popular Forces gunmen together with the IDF, opened fire at a crowd of Palestinians that were walking to an Israel-US supported aid distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, killing approximately 6 people. Other sources said that the gunfire had killed 14 Palestinians and injured about 100 people. Associated Press reported that the Popular Forces had opened fire at a group of men who tried to organize a crowd, causing nearby people to "push forward". One eyewitness said that it "was an ambush", adding: "The Israelis from one side and Abu Shabab from another". This incident was part of a broader series of shootings of Palestinians, which killed approximately 127 people. That same day, Hamas forces ambushed a car transporting Popular Forces commander Issam Nabahin, capturing him. After his capture, Hamas charged him with espionage and murder.

In June, four Hamas fighters were killed by an Israeli drone strike, in "the first Israeli strike on Gaza whose sole objective was to assist the Abu Shabab militia". On June 10, the Popular Forces ambushed a special Hamas division called the "Sahm unit", which specializes in executing collaborators with Israel. Popular Forces claimed to have killed 5-6 Sahm unit members using anti-aircraft launchers. On June 11, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reported that a bus transporting its employees was ambushed by Hamas, killing approximately 5 aid workers, leaving others wounded or possibly taken hostage. Hamas would later accuse the victims of the attack of being members of Abu Shabab's militia. That same day, the Popular Forces ambushed and killed 6 officers of the "Arrow Unit", a pro-Hamas militia responsible for targeting collaborators with Israel. On that day, the Popular Forces reported that at least 50 of their militants were killed across armed clashes between them and Hamas.

Reuters reported that as of June 27, 2025, the group was in control of eastern Rafah and has freedom of movement in the wider Rafah area.Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran
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See also

* Wartime collaboration
* Collaboration with the Islamic State
* Islamist anti-Hamas groups in the Gaza Strip
* Israeli support for Hamas, has been likened to Israeli support for the Popular Forces
* Criticism of Hamas
* Salafi jihadist insurgency in the Gaza Strip

Notes

References

{{Gaza war
Paramilitary organizations based in Palestine
Gangs in Asia
Gaza–Israel conflict
2024 establishments in Palestine
Salafi Jihadist groups