Palestinian militia leader working with Israel killed in Southern Gaza
Reports indicate that Yasser Abu Shabab, commander of the Popular Forces, died on Thursday during what Israeli officials described as internal fighting inside Gaza.
A Palestinian militia leader working with Israel in southern Gaza has been killed, raising questions about Israel's reliance on local armed groups to control parts of the territory.
Reports indicate that Yasser Abu Shabab, commander of the Popular Forces, died on Thursday during what Israeli officials described as internal fighting inside Gaza.
More To Read
- Global arms sales hit Sh87.8 trillion in 2024 amid wars in Ukraine and Gaza
- UN says rebuilding Gaza will cost Sh 9.1 trillion as Palestinian economy nears collapse
- Gaza: Two children killed every day during fragile ceasefire, says UNICEF
- Two tables, one war: Life amid ceasefire in Israel and Gaza
- Potential Gaza stabilisation force must have Security Council approval: Guterres
- We are slaughtered, and no one hears us- Gaza journalists testify at Istanbul Tribunal
According to Israeli sources speaking to CNN, Yasser was seriously injured in the clashes. Authorities tried to move him to a hospital in southern Israel for treatment, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Additional reports from Sky News indicate that Yasser and a number of his fighters, including senior commander Ghassan al Duhine, may have been ambushed by resistance factions.
His death comes at a critical time because Israel had reportedly planned to rely on his militia in the next phase of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal, particularly to secure reconstruction projects and oversee aid routes in areas under Israeli control.
Yasser's fighters operated from a small neighbourhood in Rafah that remains under Israeli control. The area sits along the road used by aid trucks entering Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, a stretch that humanitarian workers have long called "Looters' Alley."
A UN report in November 2024 identified his group as the main force behind the large-scale looting of aid convoys along that route.
Israel began working with Yasser and several other clan-based militias as a temporary measure while no long-term governance deal for Gaza had been reached.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the arrangement, calling the militias "a good thing," while critics have accused Jerusalem of empowering dangerous and unregulated groups.
Yasser often claimed his forces numbered in the hundreds, with analysts saying his men would conduct raids inside Hamas-held areas before pulling back to positions protected by Israeli troops.
Hamas, which had previously vowed to target Yasser, has not commented on his killing. However, news of his death sparked celebrations across Gaza, with many Palestinians viewing him as a collaborator with Israel.
Top Stories Today
