Yasser Abu Shabab

Yasser Abu Shabab (born 19 December 1993) is a Palestinian militant, drug trafficker and leader of the Popular Forces, an 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 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, Gaza Strip and southern Israel. According to sources close to Abu Shabab, he dropped out of school at an early age and became involved in drug trafficking, including dealing in hashish and psychoactive drugs. He had been involved in smuggling cigarettes and drugs from Egypt and Israel into the Gaza Strip through crossings and tunnels. In 2015, he was arrested by Hamas on drug trafficking charges, he was sentenced to 25 years in Asda prison which was located in western Khan Younis.

Looting and securing aid convoys

In October 2023, after the Gaza War had started, Abu Shabab managed to escape the prison as it was being bombed by Israel. The circumstances of his escape are unknown. After his escape, Abu Shabab turned to looting as drug trafficking became no longer profitable due to the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

During the ground maneuver in Gaza amidst the humanitarian crisis, Abu Shabab led a gang of around 100 members, mostly former officers from the Palestinian Authority Security Forces based in Ramallah. The group reportedly attacked food and supply trucks entering Gaza. Abu Shabab claimed the gang formed due to what he described as "Hamas leaving us with nothing, and their armed men shooting at us from time to time." In November 2024, Abu Shabab survived an assassination attempt by Hamas at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis as he managed to flee, though two of his associates were killed. In January 2025, Hamas executed one of his senior aides.

In May 2025, Abu Shabab and his men were reported to be securing aid convoys, including vehicles of the United Nations and the Red Cross. Hamas accused him of being a collaborator with Israel, claiming his group operated behind earth berms securing humanitarian entry routes under the U.S. humanitarian aid initiative. According to reports, his forces were escorting convoys from the Kerem Shalom crossing, armed with AK-47 rifles allegedly provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Hamas has accused Abu Shabab's group of working with the IDF to inspect buildings before Israeli troops moved in.

Partial control over Rafah

In June 2025, Abu Shabab released a recorded statement claiming to operate "under the legitimate Palestinian authority," referring to the Palestinian Authority (PA). He stated his operations were coordinated with the PA and called on residents of eastern Rafah to return to their homes, promising shelter and food for returning families. He further announced the establishment of a force intended to protect Palestinians from "the terror of the de facto government" (referring to Hamas) and from "aid looters." He claimed to have distributed aid and provided protection to hundreds of families in eastern Rafah. Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN's OCHAoPt said that gangs such as Abu Shabab's are responsible for "The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war" and that this is being done "under the watch of Israeli forces".

On 5 June 2025, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had supplied weapons to Abu Shabab's group, which Abu Shabab promptly denied. Avigdor Lieberman criticized the decision and alleged that Abu Shabab has ties to the Islamic State. On 8 June 2025, it was reported that Israel had agreed to the group assuming a governing role as an alternative to Hamas. Abu Shabab's family disowned him for "supporting the Zionist occupation forces" and said they "have no objection to those around him liquidating him immediately". Hamas put Abu Shabab in their top targets for assassination, which led to them unsuccessfully trying to kill him two times.

On 2 July 2025, the interior ministry of Gaza ordered Abu Shabab to surrender and face trial, accusing him of treason.

See also

* Islamist anti-Hamas groups in the Gaza Strip
* Israel and state-sponsored terrorism
* Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present)
* Salafi jihadist insurgency in the Gaza Strip
* Societal breakdown in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war

Notes

References

{{Gaza war

1993 births
Drug traffickers
People from Rafah Governorate
Palestinian bedouins
Palestinian people of the Israel–Hamas war
Palestinian militant commanders
Living people