Anti-Hamas militia leader killed in Gaza

A prominent Palestinian militia leader in Gaza opposed to Hamas was killed.

Yasser Abu Shabab heads the so-called Popular Forces, which includes dozens of fighters and operates in Israeli-controlled territory near the southern city of Rafah.

The Popular Forces said in a statement that Abu Shabab was shot while “attempting to resolve a dispute” between members of the Abu Senima family. She rejected reports that he was killed by Hamas, which accused him of collaborating with Israel, and described them as “misleading.”

A previous statement from the Tarabin Bedouin tribe, to which Abu Al-Shabab belonged, said that he was killed “by the resistance” and they accused him of betraying the Palestinian people.

Other sources said that his death was the result of an internal power struggle.

A Hamas statement said, “The fate that befell Abu al-Shabab is the inevitable fate of everyone who betrays his people and his homeland and is willing to be a tool in the hands of the occupation.” [Israel]”, without claiming involvement in his murder.

Israeli Army Radio quoted a security source as saying that Abu Al-Shabab died of his wounds after being transferred to Soroka Hospital in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel. But the hospital denied that he died under their care.

The Popular Forces statement pledged to continue the Abu Shabab path “until the last terrorist is eliminated from the soil of Gaza and a bright and secure future is built for our people who believe in peace.”

In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel was arming Palestinian tribes in Gaza that he said opposed Hamas.

This came after Israeli media reported that he had allowed the popular forces to be supplied with weapons. But the militia denied that Israel was armed with it.

The Popular Forces were accused of looting humanitarian aid trucks sent to Gaza during the war, which the militia also denied. Reports in Israel also indicated that two of its members had previous links to ISIS.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began nearly eight weeks ago, Abu Shabab has been one of several anti-Hamas militia leaders vying for a position in the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

This includes the formation of an interim government, the deployment of an international stabilization force, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Under the first phase, Hamas agreed to return all 48 living and dead hostages it still holds in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons, as well as a partial Israeli withdrawal and increased humanitarian aid.

The body of one of the Israeli hostages has not yet been returned.

The Israeli government said earlier that it would not join the talks on the second phase until Hamas returned all the hostages. However, Trump said on Wednesday that Phase 2 “will happen very soon.”

The war in Gaza was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 70,120 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Strip.