Analysis of satellite images and videos shows the Abu Shabab militia operating near Rafah along Gaza's main north-south route. Its armed members man checkpoints and distribute aid amid allegations that Netanyahu's government is arming ISIS-affiliated militias
Nir Hasson Rawan Suleiman Avi Scharf Jonathan Lis
Haaretz, June 5, 2025
Haaretz, June 5, 2025
Satellite
images and videos posted online in recent weeks show that a new armed
Palestinian militia has expanded its presence in southern Gaza,
operating inside an area under the direct control of the Israel Defense
Forces.Last month, Haaretz revealed
the activities of a group calling itself the "Anti-Terror Service,"
operating in eastern Rafah. The group is reportedly led by Yasser Abu
Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his
involvement in criminal activity and the looting of humanitarian aid
late last year.
Sources
in Gaza claim the group consists of roughly 100 armed men who operate
with the tacit approval of the IDF. When asked for comment last week, an
IDF spokesperson declined to respond to these claims.
In
recent weeks, Abu Shabab launched two Facebook pages where he publishes
anti-Hamas and anti-Palestinian Authority messages while promoting his
militia's efforts to provide security and distribute aid to civilians.
Videos
shared on these pages show his fighters wearing new uniforms, helmets,
and vests emblazoned with insignias that include the Palestinian flag.
Abu Shabab also shared the original Haaretz report about his group.
Some
videos show the militia stopping and inspecting convoys from the Red
Cross and the UN, guarding the Salah al-Din road, Gaza's main
north-south route, and conducting armed formation drills.
In
mid-April, four militia members were killed by an explosive device
planted by Hamas. Although Hamas initially claimed the attack targeted
an undercover Israeli unit, it later emerged that the casualties were
members of Abu Shabab's group.
In
a video posted this week, Abu Shabab claimed the four were killed while
clearing homes in Rafah in preparation for the return of displaced
residents. The video also described the deceased as former security
officers or Palestinian Authority employees.
On
Tuesday, Abu Shabab released another video showing his forces setting
up a tent camp and unloading food from a truck. The accompanying message
stated that "the popular forces have returned to eastern Rafah under
the umbrella of Palestinian legitimacy, led by commander Yasser Abu
Shabab."
Displaced
Palestinians were invited to join the camp to receive food, shelter,
and protection. Phone numbers were provided for coordination. The video
also showed the distribution of hundreds of sacks of flour and food
packages.
Haaretz
identified the tent camp's location in satellite imagery from Planet
Labs, showing 16 tents under construction in a zone long controlled
directly by the IDF – between the east-west Morag and Philadelphi routes, about five kilometers northeast of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Previous
efforts by Palestinian journalists and online activists to geolocate
Abu Shabab's militia videos confirmed that they were also filmed in this
same area (marked in red on the attached map).
UN maps from late 2023 designated the zone as "hazardous" due to frequent looting of aid convoys. In a past interview with The Washington Post, Abu Shabab admitted to looting some of the aid in order to feed local families.
The
IDF declined to comment on the militia's activity in Gaza and referred
Haaretz to the Shin Bet, which also refused to respond.
On Wednesday, Israeli lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman, a former defense minister, claimed that Israel has supplied weapons to ISIS-affiliated Gazan criminal gangs.
In
an interview with Kan Bet radio, Lieberman said, "Israel gave assault
rifles and small arms to crime families in Gaza on Netanyahu's orders. I
doubt it went through the Security Cabinet. No one can guarantee these
weapons won't eventually be turned against Israel."
Since
the start of the war, there have been several reports suggesting that
Netanyahu and senior IDF officials have considered transferring local
governance in Gaza to large clans or families as a counterweight to Hamas.
In
response to Lieberman's allegations, Netanyahu's office said: "Israel
is working to defeat Hamas through various means, as recommended by all
heads of the security establishment."
The two pages of Yaser Abu Shabab, who describes himself as ‘Commander-in-Chief of the Popular Forces’, created on Facebook/Meta with a small dose of artificial intelligence.
The private one :
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575907420429
The official one:
https://www.facebook.com/Popularforces2024
