Abu Shabab’s Death Helps Hamas Secure Future in Gaza
Abu Shabab’s Death Helps Hamas Secure Future in Gaza
Executive Summary:
- Yasser Abu Shabab, leader of the “Popular Forces” militia, was killed under unclear circumstances in Gaza on December 4, 2025. His death removed a key anti-Hamas figure.
- Despite his occasional coordination of aid for Gazans, Abu Shabab was viewed as a criminal and traitor by many Palestinians due to his smuggling past and ties with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
- His death eliminates a potential alternative to Hamas governance, likely helping Hamas secure its future in Gaza while leaving Israel without a replacement ally for the region.
On December 4, 2025, Gaza-based Palestinian militia leader, Yasser Abu Shabab—who had become the face of anti-Hamas resistance—was reported killed in Gaza under unclear circumstances, including possibly stealthily by Hamas or rival militia members (Al Jazeera, December 7, 2025). His group, known as the “Popular Forces (PF),” was supported by Israel, especially in the months before the ceasefire with Hamas was reached last October (haaretz.com, October 9, 2025). Although it was hoped that his fighters would become an alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, this did not happen, and, ultimately, Abu Shabab himself was killed.
Abu Shabab was born in the early 1990s and was a member of the Tarabin Bedouin tribe. His reputation for smuggling and low-level crime led to clashes with Hamas and Abu Shabab’s imprisonment by Hamas in the early days after the post-October 7, 2023, war with Israel (washingtoninstitute.org, July 15, 2025). He escaped from prison, however, and recommenced his anti-Hamas activities from a base in Rafah. There, he coordinated with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), including for the provision of aid to civilians in areas under his control (jns.org, December 6, 2025).
Despite his reputation, Abu Shabab appeared to recruit from the more elite ranks of Gazan society. Such individuals may have been prone to oppose Hamas and how its war with Israel led to the destruction of their comparatively well-to-do lives in the Gaza Strip. For example, in a social media post announcing the launch of his PF militia, Abu Shabab specifically sought support from academics and professionals (Facebook/PopularForces1, July 13, 2025).
Abu Shabab also benefited from basing himself in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, where he rose to prominence following the Israeli incursion into the city in May 2024 (Al Jazeera, May 7, 2024). By providing security to aid convoys passing through Rafah, while also being anti-Hamas, Abu Shabab aimed to win support from the local population that benefited from the aid and the IDF's trust. His forces only numbered around 300 fighters, however, which meant he was simply outnumbered by Hamas in a post-ceasefire situation, once the Israelis had relocated to the so-called Yellow Line (Times of Israel, February 9).
Abu Shabab was always a controversial figure in Gaza due to his associations with smuggling and the IDF. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even admitted to arming Abu Shabab’s fighters (Times of Israel, June 5, 2025). This led many Palestinians to view him as a “criminal” and “traitor,” even if they did not necessarily support Hamas themselves. Moreover, while Israel often accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid meant for the Gazan people, the UN also laid blame on Abu Shabab—and sometimes not Hamas. Abu Shabab acknowledged that his fighters occasionally raided and misused aid intended for civilians by keeping it for themselves. In this regard, he will likely not be missed by the Gazan people, but it may be difficult for Israel to find another replacement for him that will side with the IDF over Hamas in Gaza.
