Rabat – Just when it seems that the situation in Gaza couldn’t grow more horrific—with over 55,000 people killed, tens of thousands still buried beneath rubble, and hundreds of thousands injured without access to basic medical care—a new threat has emerged from within. Amid the carnage, a criminal gang has surfaced, openly collaborating with the Israeli occupation under the pretense of fighting Hamas.
The gang, organized by the “Popular Forces” is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a Palestinian from Gaza known for his criminal activities. The gang has now stepped out of the shadows, attempting to portray itself as a victim as it claims Hamas killed at least 50 of its members. The Israel-affiliated militia says its “volunteers” were targeted while “guarding aid convoys and redistributing supplies that were otherwise destined for corrupt entities linked to Hamas.”
Israeli media reported this week that members of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) intervened in clashes between Hamas fighters and the militia in order to protect Abu Shabab.
Israeli media also confirmed that an Israeli drone strike targeted Hamas fighters mid-battle—marking the first known Israeli strike in Gaza conducted solely to support the Abu Shabab gang. The militia is also said to have killed six members of Hamas’ “Arrow” unit, a specialized group responsible for identifying Palestinian collaborators with Israel.
Wide speculation about Israel’s involvement with the ISIS-affiliated gang dates back to late May, when Abu Shabab was spotted in Gaza during the launch of the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Quds News Network reported that Abu Shabab has resurfaced in Gaza under the guise of “securing aid,” wearing security uniforms and claiming to protect humanitarian deliveries—while in reality looting the aid and reselling it at extortionate prices.
Although these gangs have received more attention recently, Palestinian media report that they have been operating since at least 2024, primarily based in Rafah. They reportedly set up staging areas near IOF positions and aid distribution sites, giving them immediate access to incoming supplies.
These claims are supported by a report from Israeli outlet i24NEWS, which quoted an Israeli source saying that the entity has been transferring weapons to armed groups in Gaza for the past two years.
Netanyahu’s forces
A convicted drug trafficker, Abu Shabab is believed to be running a criminal network stretching from Gaza to the Sinai, where Islamic State groups control the smuggling routes.
Now 35, Abu Shabab was serving a long prison sentence for possession of large quantities of drugs before escaping amid the chaos of Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023. A Gaza-based security officer told The New Arab that Abu Shabab’s rise to power as a gang leader was baffling, describing him as a “weak, short, uncharismatic, illiterate” man with no military background.
The so-called Popular Forces have effectively become subcontractors for the Israeli genocide in Gaza, reportedly handling reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions for the IOF.
The militia is believed to comprise between 100 and 300 members, including former Palestinian security officer Ghassan al-Dahini, now Abu Shabab’s right-hand man. Al-Dahini recently shared a video of himself firing a Kalashnikov, though public outrage focused more on the license plate of his car, which bore the name of the UAE’s Sharjah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly admitted to arming local clans to counter Hamas—an admission that confirms their role as an extension of the IOF. His statement came just hours after former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman revealed that the Israeli-backed gang is affiliated with ISIS.
Looted aid and extortionist prices
Gaza residents have confirmed that these armed gangs are looting aid under the protection of the IOF.
“The aid comes down at specific times, and we have specific times to go. Most of the time, we go [to the aid point] and find nothing,” said one witness on social media.
“Why? Because there are gangs, groups, and families with weapons who attack the aid right in front of everyone, take it by force, and no one is allowed to get close,” the witness continued. The stolen aid is then sold at extortionate prices.
The prices are nothing short of psychological torture for a people that Israel has been starving systematically: a bag of flour has reached $500, a kilo of meat $150, a kilo of sugar $80, a kilo of onions $70, and a liter of oil $40.
“I’ve reached a point where every time I see someone selling aid on the street, I just walk away,” said the witness about the prices that are impossible to afford unless one has a constant stream of donations.
While Palestinians have long spoken about the soaring prices of what should be humanitarian aid, none have publicly addressed the gangs responsible—likely out of fear. That some are now speaking out may indicate just how desperate the situation has become.
“If anyone dares to speak up, if anyone knows who these gangs are, they kill them. This is what’s happening,” said the source.
Execution testimony
Palestinian poet and genocide survivor Mosab Abu Toha recently shared on social media the testimony of a journalist in Rafah, who remained anonymous for safety reasons. According to the journalist, on June 9, people rushed to a distribution site in Rafah after hearing gunfire, assuming aid had arrived.
About two miles from the site, they encountered gunmen who ordered them to queue up—100 at a time—before being allowed in. After hours of waiting, the gunmen began executing people before driving away.
Abu Toha noted that these men spoke in a fluent Palestinian dialect, helping them gain the trust of locals. He emphasized that after gunning down desperate aid-seekers, they headed toward Rafah—where both the GHF aid site and the IOF were stationed.
While pacifying its Western allies with the illusion of humanitarian aid through GHF— condemned by the United Nations as a “death trap” within days of its launch–Israel advances its expansionist agenda by forcibly concentrating Palestinians into the South of Gaza.
Its reliance on criminal militias to counter Hamas, sow disorder and obstruct aid delivery is not only a reflection of Israel’s moral decay, but also an admittance of its failure to dismantle the resistance 20 months into its rabid genocide.
