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Hamas–Popular Forces conflict

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Hamas–Popular Forces conflict
Part of Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war and the Salafi jihadist insurgency in the Gaza Strip (allegedly)
DateSeptember 2024 – present
Location
Gaza Strip, Palestine
Status Ongoing
Territorial
changes		 Popular Forces control the Al-Bayuk neighborhood[1]
Belligerents
Palestine Popular Forces
Supported by:
 Israel
Commanders and leaders
Yasser Abu Shabab
Issam Nabahin †		 Izz al-Din al-Haddad
Casualties and losses
~50 militants killed ~16 militants killed
15 Palestinian civilians killed

The Hamas–Popular Forces conflict is an ongoing civil conflict in the Gaza Strip that began in September 2024. It involves clashes between the Hamas-led government in Gaza and the Popular Forces, a Palestinian militia reportedly backed by Israel and allegedly linked to the Islamic State.

Background

Main article: Popular Forces

The Popular Forces is a Palestinian anti-Hamas armed group active in the Gaza Strip and led by Yasser Abu Shabab.[2] The Popular Forces are Israeli-backed and allegedly Islamic State (IS)-linked.[3][4][5][6]

The group, which has been described as a gang or militia,[7] is made up of approximately 300 men who operate in eastern Rafah.[8][7] 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.[9][10]

Timeline

2024

In September 2024, Hamas would attempt to ambush and assasinate Abu Shabab by firing approximately 90 bullets at a vehicle they thought belonged to him. The vehicle actually belonged to Islam Hijazi, an aid worker of charity organization named Heal Palestine, she was killed in this incident.[11]

On 16 November 2024, Israeli-backed Popular Forces raided a convoy of 109 United Nations aid trucks and looted 98 of them. The raid occurred near Israeli military installations at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the Gaza Strip.[12] The perpetrators, who according to a UN memo may have had "protection" from the IDF, threw grenades and held truck drivers at gunpoint, forcing them to unload their aid. The incident further exacerbated the Gaza humanitarian crisis caused by the war.[13][14][15] The incident has been described by the UNRWA as "one of the worst" incidents of its kind.[16]

On 18 November, a Hamas security unit reported they carried out a "military operation" against the looters in Khan Yunis and Rafah, killing at least 20 of the perpetrators.[17] Abu Shabab was not in the area at the time, but his brother was killed.[18]

2025

In January, Hamas executed one of Abu Shabab's senior aides.[19]

In May 2025, the Popular Forces were reported to be securing aid convoys, including vehicles of the United Nations and the Red Cross. Hamas accused Abu Shabab of being a collaborator with Israel, claiming his group operated behind earth berms securing humanitarian entry routes under an American 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 IDF.[20][21][22] On 30 May, Hamas published a video which it claimed showed its members targeting undercover IDF soldiers with an IED. Per some Palestinian media reports, the men belonged to the Popular Forces.[23]

On 5 June, Israel revealed it has been backing the Popular Forces. The Israeli opposition legislator Avigdor Lieberman alleged that the Popular Forces is affiliated with IS.[24][25] In a video published by the militia, Abu Shabab claimed his group was in control of eastern Rafah after expelling Hamas forces, and had the backing of the Palestinian Authority.[25]

On June 9, 2025, Popular Forces gunmen together with IDF, opened fire at a crowd of Palestinians that were walking to an Israel-US supported aid distribution centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, killing approximately 6 people.[26] Other sources said that the gunfire killed 14 Palestinians and injured about 100 people. Associated Press reported that Popular Forces 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.[27][28] That same day, Hamas forces ambushed a car transporting Issam Nabahin, capturing him. Nabahin is one of the three Popular Forces commanders, after his capture, Hamas would charge him with espionage and murder.[29][30]

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".[31] On June 10, Popular Forces ambushed a special Hamas unit named "Arrow Unit", which specializes in executing collaborators with Israel. Popular Forces claimed to have killed 5-6 Sahm unit members using anti-aircraft launchers.[32][33] 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, Popular Forces ambushed and killed 6 officers of "Arrow Unit"[34][35] On that day, the Popular Forces reported that at least 50 of their militants were killed across armed clashes between them and Hamas.[35][31]

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.[36]

References

  1. ^ Macales, Ben Tzion (June 3, 2025). "מפת שליטה עדכנית של כוחות צה"ל ברצועת עזה - 09.06.2025" [Current control map of IDF forces in the Gaza Strip - 09.06.2025.]. X (in Hebrew). Ben Tzion Macales. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  2. ^ Lappin, Yaakov (2025-06-10). "Israel's gambit: Empowering Gaza militia to help crush Hamas". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  3. ^ Lis, Jonathan (June 5, 2025). "Netanyahu Says Israel Fighting Hamas 'In Various Ways' Amid Claims It Armed ISIS-affiliated Gaza Militia". Haaretz.
  4. ^ Halabi, Einav; Yehoshua, Yossi (June 5, 2025). "Gaza militia leader Israel is arming to challenge Hamas: Who is Yasser Abu-Shabab?". Ynet News.
  5. ^ "Israel opposition leader says Netanyahu arming 'equivalent of Isis' gangs in Gaza". Middle East Eye. 5 June 2025.
  6. ^ Rasgon, Adam (2025-06-06). "Who Leads the Israeli-backed Palestinian Militia in Gaza?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  7. ^ a b Tondo, Lorenzo (June 5, 2025). "Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang who allegedly looted aid in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  8. ^ "Netanyahu admits Israel supporting anti-Hamas 'criminal gang' in Gaza". TRT Global. June 6, 2025.
  9. ^ Lis, Jonathan (5 June 2025). "Netanyahu Says Israel Fighting Hamas 'In Various Ways' Amid Claims It Armed ISIS-affiliated Gaza Militia". Haaretz.
  10. ^ Fabian, Emanuel; Yohanan, Nurit; Freiberg, Nava (June 5, 2025). "Israel providing guns to Gaza gang to bolster opposition to Hamas". The Times of Israel.
  11. ^ Shabiha, Muhammad (June 10, 2025). "The rise of Abu Shabab: Mapping the Gaza militia armed by Israel". The New Arab.
  12. ^ Tondo, Lorenzo (2025-06-05). "Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang who allegedly looted aid in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  13. ^ David Gritten (2024-11-18). "Almost 100 Gaza aid lorries violently looted, UN agency Unrwa says". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  14. ^ Al Jazeera Staff. "How was a UN aid convoy robbed near Israeli military positions?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  15. ^ Parker, Claire (18 November 2024). "Gangs looting Gaza aid operate in areas under Israeli control, aid groups say". The Washington Post.
  16. ^ Hira Humayun; Pauline Lockwood (2024-11-19). "Nearly a hundred aid trucks looted in Gaza, as UN warns of 'collapse of law and order'". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  17. ^ Ibrahim, Sally (19 November 2024). "Gaza: Hamas security kill aid looters 'linked to Israel, ISIS'". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  18. ^ Rasgon, Adam (2025-06-06). "Who Is Yasser Abu Shabab, the Leader of the Israeli-Backed Militia in Gaza?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  19. ^ "משטרת חמאס הורגת חמישה פלסטינים שהואשמו בשיתוף פעולה עם ישראל בעזה" [Hamas police kill five Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel in Gaza]. Aurora (in Hebrew). 24 January 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  20. ^ "ياسر أبو شباب.. سرسري أسست له "إسرائيل" جيش لحد في غزة" [Yasser Abu Shabab ... an agent for whom Israel founded the Lahad Army in Gaza]. Palestinian Press Network (in Arabic). 24 May 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  21. ^ "متهم بسرقة غذاء نازحي غزة.. من هو ياسر أبو شباب؟" [Accused of stealing Gaza's aid – who is Yasser Abu Shabab?]. Al Mashhad Media (in Arabic). 20 November 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  22. ^ אוהביה, שרעבי (22 May 2025). "דיווחים ברצועה: האיש שחמאס ניסה לחסל - תועד חמוש בעזה" [Reports from the Strip: The man Hamas tried to eliminate was recorded armed in Gaza]. Arutz 7 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  23. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (30 May 2025). "Hamas claims to target 'undercover' Israeli troops in video of Rafah IED attack". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  24. ^ Tondo, Lorenzo (2025-06-05). "Israel accused of arming Palestinian gang who allegedly looted aid in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  25. ^ a b Eichner, Itamar; Halabi, Einav (2025-06-05). "Liberman accuses Netanyahu of arming ISIS-linked militias in Gaza; PM's office offers no denial". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  26. ^ "Six killed by Israeli gunfire near Gaza aid site, Hamas officials". The Siasat Daily. June 9, 2025.
  27. ^ Conley, Julia (June 9, 2025). "At Least 14 More Palestinians Killed at Aid Points as Israel Detains Humanitarian Volunteers". Common Dreams.
  28. ^ Shufara, Wafaa (June 9, 2025). "Palestinians say Israel and its allies fired on a crowd near Gaza aid site. Hospital says 14 killed". Associated Press.
  29. ^ "Hamas arrests a prominent leader of the Abu Shabab group". Almash Hadal Araby (in Arabic). June 10, 2025.
  30. ^ "Reports indicate that Yasser Abu Shabab's right-hand man has been arrested in Gaza. He is accused of espionage and murder". Arabi 21 (in Arabic). June 9, 2025.
  31. ^ a b Tondo, Lorenzo (11 June 2025). "Hamas has killed 50 Palestinian fighters armed by Israel in Gaza, faction's associates say". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  32. ^ Klerman, Shachar (June 10, 2025). "Renegade Palestinian group kills 5 Hamas terrorists in ambush". Israel Hayom.
  33. ^ Halabi, Einav; Kimon, Elisha Ben (June 10, 2025). "Gaza militia, reportedly backed by Israel, claims it ambushed, killed 6 Hamas terrorists". Ynet News.
  34. ^ Adler, Jonathan (June 12, 2025). "How Israel is engineering Gaza's social collapse". +972 Magazine.
  35. ^ a b "Hamas killed 50 members of Gaza gang armed by Israel, militia says". Middle East Eye. 11 June 2025.
  36. ^ Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran
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