Popular Forces

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Popular Forces
القوات الشعبية
al-Quwwāt ash-Shaʿbiyya
Also known asAnti-Terror Service
LeaderYasser Abu Shabab
Dates of operationMay 2024–present
Allegiance Palestinian Authority (proclaimed, denied by the PA)[1][2][3]
 Islamic State (alleged, denied by Abu Shabab)[4]
HeadquartersAl-Bayuk, Rafah[5]
Active regionsGaza Strip, Palestine
Notable attacksKerem Shalom aid convoy looting
Rafah aid distribution killings (alleged)[6]
Size~300 fighters[7]
Means of revenueIsraeli funding and intercepted aid trucks[8]
Allies Israel[9]
OpponentsHamas Hamas
Battles and warsGaza war

The Popular Forces[a] is an Israeli-backed and allegedly Islamic State (IS)-linked Palestinian armed group in the Gaza Strip led by Yasser Abu Shabab. It is opposed to Hamas and supported by Israel.[10][11][12][13]

The group, which has been described as a gang or militia,[14] is made up of approximately 300 men who operate in eastern Rafah.[15][14] 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.[16][17]

The Popular Forces were able to come to power during the Gaza war amid the power vacuum left by a weakened Hamas.[18][19] The Popular Forces control territory and aid routes near the Egypt–Gaza border, and have been accused of looting humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip,[14][17][20] described by a United Nations official as "grand larceny".[21] The group maintains that it protects civilians from "the terror of the Hamas government" and denies large-scale looting.[11] In June of 2025, Al Jazeera reported that the Popular Forces were helping to protect supply shipments sent to aid distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF),[22][18] and aid truck drivers told CNN that Abu Shabab had furnished men to protect aid convoys.[19] In the same month, the group and the Israel Defense Forces were accused of shooting and killing multiple Gazans seeking aid at a GHF aid site.[23]

Israeli officials acknowledged sending weapons to the Popular Forces, as part of a program of arming and supporting anti-Hamas elements and clans in the Gaza Strip.[19][24][25][26] Abu Shabab has denied any collaboration with Israel.[27]

Hamas,[28] an unnamed Israeli security official, and Israeli opposition politicians such as Avigdor Lieberman, Yair Golan, and Yair Lapid[25] have alleged that the Popular Forces is affiliated with IS,[29] and have lambasted Israeli support of the group.[26] Abu Shabab denied connections to IS, labeling them as propaganda meant to sow hostility between Arabs and Israelis.[30][31]

History

[edit]

Origins and characteristics

[edit]

The Popular Forces are led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a local clan leader[22] and former drug trafficker convicted and imprisoned by the Hamas government. Under its current form and name, the group emerged in Rafah in May 2024 amid Israel's Rafah offensive. According to sources, members of the group belonged to earlier Salafi jihadist factions that opposed Hamas,[17] and known criminals.[32][33][34] The group's ranks include former Palestinian officers, with most notable one being Ghassan al-Dahini, who is responsible for recruiting members of the Popular Forces.[35] Abu Shabab was arrested by Hamas in 2015 on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 25 years in Asda prison located in Khan Yunis. The group was created after Abu Shabab escaped from the prison as it was being bombed by Israel on October 2023. Reportedly, after his escape, Abu Shabab walked to Kerem Shalom crossing and assembled a force of a few hundred men, exerting control over the territory near it.[36] According to Maariv, an Israeli newspaper, Shin Bet was allegedly responsible for the creation of Popular Forces. Reportedly, Ronen Bar, chief of Shin Bet, proposed the group as an alternative to Hamas in small areas of Gaza during his talks with Benjamin Netanyahu.[37] Reportedly, Popular Forces are armed with assault rifles and equipped with radios and night-vision goggles.[38]

The group has 300 men, 50 of whom were personally recruited by Abu Shahab, while the other 250 men were allegedly recruited through the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence services.[17] Abu Shabab's group controls much of the Nasr neighborhood in eastern Rafah, which was significantly damaged by the bombing from IDF, as well as aid routes around the Keram Shalom border crossing, including territory 1.5 km from the crossing.[19][33] The group may be expanding into Khan Yunis, north of Rafah.[19]

Abu Shabab said that Popular Forces are funded by "individual efforts and donations" and that they are armed with "primitive weapons" which were inherited from local tribes. He also described his group's operations as a humanitarian project, saying that "hundreds of families" are evacuating to areas under Popular Forces control daily to escape "war and famine".[39]

Abu Shabab stated that his group are "grassroots forces"[28] and that they are not an official authority, nor are they operating under control of Palestinian Authority.[citation needed] However, Abu Shabab has stated that his gang operates "under Palestinian legitimacy", ostensibly a reference to the PA.[11][13] In June of 2025, Major General Anwar Rajab of spokesman of Palestinian Authority security services declined to comment on the connections between the Popular Forces and the PA.[13]

Aid looting

[edit]

In 2024, amid severe food shortages in Gaza,[40][22] Gazan transportation company owners, truck drivers, aid workers and groups, and international humanitarian officials[13] accused the Popular Forces of looting humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip.[22] On 16 November 2024, gangsters, including the Popular Forces, looted 109 UN aid trucks,[41] in what NPR stated was the "biggest looting of UN aid anywhere, ever."[18] A truck driver whose truck was ambushed by gang members said that they identified Yasser Abu Shabab as their boss. Another Gazan said that he attempted to buy flour from Abu Shabab gang and saw the gang's gunmen guarding warehouses containing stolen food from United Nations, and that the gunmen threatened him with weapons.[21][32]

A United Nations official posted in Gaza described these activities as "tactical, systematic, criminal looting"[40] and the work of a "crime syndicate".[21] Sam Rose, deputy director of the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), stated that "Law and order have broken down in the area around the Kerem Shalom crossing, which remains the main entry point of goods, and gangs are filling the power vacuum".[40] An aid worker stated that the looting caused widespread hunger.[18]

Connections to Israel

[edit]
See also: Israel and state-sponsored terrorism

Multiple UN officials said that the looting could not happen without the help of Israeli military. One official said “These guys are probably the only people in Gaza who can get 100 yards from an Israeli tank or Israeli soldiers without being shot”.[33] A diplomatic official told CNN that "The fact that [Abu Shabab] is not targeted by the Israelis is a clear indication of how they see him", and alleged that collaboration existed between Abu Shabab and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (which the GHF denied).[19] Aid workers and locals stated that armed men were able to loot aid trucks "in plain sight" of the IDF.[40] Stéphanie Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General, stated that "The reports – the idea that the Israeli forces may be allowing looters or not doing enough to prevent [looting] is frankly fairly alarming, given the responsibilities of Israel as the occupying power to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed safely."[32] According to analysts, it is likely that Abu Shabab communicates with Israeli forces, "based on evidence of his movements in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza", and his proximity to Israeli military positions.[19]

The family of Abu Shabab said that Popular Forces are involved in "dangerous security engagements, even working within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces". Abu Shabab responded to their statements, saying that they were “fabricated and false” and that they are a part of a "media campaign" targeting him and his "colleagues".[19] Abu Shabab has denied any collaboration with Israel.[28]

On May 26, 2025, Abu Shabab, who is a leader of a large clan in the city of Rafah, which was under full control of IDF, said that he is building up an army to secure aid deliveries into some parts of the Gaza Strip. He posted images of his armed men receiving and organizing the traffic of aid trucks. Abu Shabab's account on Facebook claimed that Popular Forces secured 101 aid trucks, mostly containing flour brought to Gaza by the World Food Programme. In an interview with CNN, truck drivers said that Abu Shabab provided 200 armed men to protect their convoys.[19] Hamas accused Abu Shabab of looting aid trucks and having connections with Israel. Abu Shabab denied committing any looting and said that he has never acted as an alternative to the Palestinian government or other institutions. Despite this, Hamas security official called Abu Shabab a "tool used by the Israeli occupation to fragment the Palestinian internal front", and pledged to oppose him.[42] On May 30, Hamas uploaded a video of Abu Shabab's gunmen walking in a building before it was blown up. Hamas claimed that the group helped IDF to inspect buildings before they moved in.[17]

In June 2025, Abu Shabab released a video where he claimed that his group has taken control of eastern Rafah. He called on citizens of Rafah to return, promising them food, shelter, and protection in makeshift camps which were build under the watch of IDF. His fighters, which are mostly his relatives, were seen wearing uniforms with Palestinian flags and "counter-terrorism unit" patches. They were seen setting up tents, unloading supplies from trucks, and distributing food. He said that his militia's goal is to defend civilians against "terrorism of Hamas" and "rampant looting of aid".[43][44] On the same month, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu party, said that Israel secretly supplies assault rifles and light weapons to gangs in Gaza to make Hamas weaker.[45] Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, admitted that he is using armed gangs in Gaza against Hamas. He stated, "On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What's wrong with that? It's only good. It only saves the lives of IDF soldiers".[26] Associated Press confirmed that one of the groups sponsored by Israel is led by Abu Shabab.[22] Reportedly, Israel has supplied Abu Shabab's group with Kalashnikov rifles, some stolen from Hamas militants. The operation was approved by Netanyahu himself.[17][46] This has caused controversy among Israeli opposition leaders.[26]

Allegations of connections to the Islamic State

[edit]

Israeli support for the Popular Forces has caused controversy among Israeli opposition politicians and leaders, some whom have described the move as "complete madness", due to the Popular Forces' alleged connections with IS. Former defense minister and Netanyahu rival Avigdor Libermann said, "We’re talking about the equivalent of ISIS in Gaza" and that "No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be directed towards Israel". Yesh Atid party member and Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid declared on social media, "After Netanyahu finished handing over millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to supplying weapons to groups in Gaza affiliated with ISIS – all improvised, with no strategic planning, and all leading to more disasters." Yair Golan of The Democrats party said that Netanyahu "is creating a new ticking bomb in Gaza".[25][26][47]

Basem Naim, Hamas Political Bureau member and spokesman told Newsweek that the Popular Forces has connections to ISIS, and that it is a group of "agents, drug dealers, thieves, and extremists linked to IS". The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank stated that Abu Shabab's clan, from which most Popular Forces fighters are drawn from, is connected to IS.[28]

Even through Abu Shabab's group does not support Hamas, some of its members reportedly participated in rocket attacks against Israel, they also reportedly have contacts with IS affiliates. One of the group's commanders was reported to be a 33-year-old male, Issam Nabahin, who previously fought on the side of IS during the Sinai insurgency. Reportedly, he was sentenced to death for his crimes in 2023 but managed to escape the prison before his execution.[48][better source needed] Another prominent group member, Ghassan al-Dheini, allegedly pledged allegiance to IS in 2015 and participated in the 2007 kidnapping of BBC News journalist Alan Johnston.[28]

However, Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, writing for Middle East Forum, disputed the allegations that the Popular Forces is linked to IS. He argues that the group's use of the Palestinian flag in their logo and uniforms would be unacceptable to the anti-nationalist IS, even as a disguise, and that collaboration with Israel would constitute apostasy from Islam from an IS perspective.[49]

Notable incidents

[edit]

2024

[edit]
Main article: Kerem Shalom aid convoy looting

On November 16, 2024, Abu Shabab's group raided a convoy of 109 United Nations aid trucks, looting 98 of them. Reportedly, Abu Shabab was the mastermind behind the looting.[50][51] In an interview with Sky News, Abu Shabab stated: "We work to ensure that aid reaches our people safely, without interference or theft". One humanitarian official said that his claims were "comical".[52]

Abu Shabab said that they are looting food so they can feed their families and neighbors, and accused Hamas of stealing the most aid.[21] On November 25, 2024, days after the looting, Hamas killed more than 20 of the looters, Abu Shabab's brother among them.[32][21]

2025

[edit]
Main article: Rafah aid distribution incidents

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.[53] 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.[54][23] That same day, Hamas forces ambushed a car transporting Issam Nabahin and captured him. Nabahin is one of the three Popular Forces commanders, and after his capture, Hamas charged him with espionage and murder.[55][56]

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".[57] 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", Arrow Unit is a pro-Hamas militia responsible for targeting collaborators with Israel.[58][59] On that day, the Popular Forces reported that at least 50 of their militants were killed across armed clashes between them and Hamas.[59][57]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Arabic: القوات الشعبية, romanized: al-Quwwāt ash-Shaʿbiyya.

References

[edit]
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  49. ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (9 June 2025). "'ISIS-Affiliated Gangs' in Gaza?". Middle East Forum.
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