Hamas orders surrender of Israeli-backed leader of Gaza’s Abu Shabab militia

Members of the Abu Shabab militia.

Jack Khoury reports in Haaretz on 2 July 2025:

Hamas issued a statement Wednesday [2 July] calling on the leader of the so-called Abu Shabab militia, which operates with support from Israel, to turn himself in within 10 days or face trial in absentia.

According to the statement, the group’s leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, is charged with treason, espionage, collaboration with hostile entities, forming an armed gang and armed rebellion.  The statement also warned that anyone who knows Abu Shabab’s whereabouts and fails to report it to the authorities will be considered an accomplice.

The law under which Hamas is pursuing the case was originally drafted during the Palestine Liberation Organization’s rule over the Gaza Strip, and was designed to combat those who collaborate with Israel during wartime. The Abu Shabab militia called Hamas’ demand an attempt to use illegitimate means in a bid to strengthen Hamas’ rule.

Hamas’ demand is expected to serve as a key test for the group in Gaza and is widely seen as another attempt to demonstrate that it still maintains control on the ground, despite a steadily deteriorating reality in terms of internal security, public trust and enacting its authority.

According to sources in Gaza, if Hamas succeeds in bringing Abu Shabab to trial, potentially executing him, it would represent a significant show of force at a time when reports of mounting lawlessness in the Strip are increasing. Conversely, failure could further signal that Hamas is losing its grip on the territory, even among its traditional base of support.

As reported by Haaretz, analysis of satellite imagery and videos posted online indicates that Abu Shabab’s militia has recently expanded its operations in areas under direct IDF control.

In June, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel is arming a militia in southern Gaza and supporting it as a counterbalance to Hamas. One of the armed groups receiving Israeli backing is the militia led by Abu Shabab.

Abu Shabab, a member of the al-Tarabin Bedouin tribe in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, is known as a powerful figure with extensive local connections. While he denies collaborating with Israel, sources in Gaza claim his organization includes around 100 armed young men who receive covert Israeli military support, including logistical and intelligence assistance from the IDF.

In May, Abu Shabab created two Facebook pages where he criticized Hamas and Palestinian politics broadly, while highlighting his efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.  Videos from his profile, which have circulated widely on social media, show armed Palestinians in Gaza dressed in standard military gear, including vests, helmets and insignia such as the Palestinian flag and a patch labeled “Anti-Terror Service” in both English and Arabic.  Abu Shabab also shared the Haaretz article that was published about his militia.

In response to Hamas, the militia said Abu Shabab was busy with “major projects and national plans” designed to rehabilitate the region and serve the residents of the Gaza Strip.  It called on Hamas to stop persecuting opposition activists and instead investigate “those who led the Palestinian people to the October 7 disaster,” as well as “the corrupt and criminals in Hamas, who torture, murder, steal and exploit the suffering of the people.”

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