A new militia in Gaza to challenge Hamas

A 300 member strong Palestinian militia has emerged in Gaza, aiming to liberate the Strip from Hamas — and now it says it has the backing of Israel, reports Euronews.

The group, calling itself the Popular Forces, operates in eastern Rafah under the leadership of Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin man in his thirties who spent years in Hamas detention for criminal activities before October 07, attacks freed him from prison.

According to comments made exclusively to Euronews, Abu Shabab’s group — not to be confused with Somalia’s Islamist extremists, Al-Shabaab — first banded together in June 2024.

The Popular Forces, who also go by the moniker Anti-Terror Service, describe themselves as mere "volunteers from among the people" who protect humanitarian aid from "looting, corruption and organized theft" by Hamas-affiliated groups.

"We are not a substitute for the state, nor are we a party to any political conflict," the group said in a statement to Euronews. "We are not professional fighters ... as we do not engage in guerrilla warfare tactics."

Hamas has responded with direct assassinations against Popular Forces members, going on a show of force against potential rival organizations despite months of Israeli military strikes.

"Hamas has killed over 50 of our volunteers, including members of Commander Yasser's family, while we were guarding aid convoys," the Popular Forces spokesperson said.

Earlier, Hamas firmly rejected allegations of war profiteering and humanitarian aid theft, also levelled at them by Israel — something the Popular Forces insist is in fact still happening.

Meanwhile, Yasser Abu Shabab himself revealed his group is “coordinating” with the Israeli army in Rafah.

In an interview on Sunday with Israeli public broadcaster KAN’s Arabic-language radio, Abu Shabab said his group is cooperating with Israel on “support and assistance” but not “military actions,” which he explained were conducted solely by his group.

While the Popular Forces have since denied that Abu Shabab gave the interview to KAN altogether after coming under fire from critics in Gaza, the arrangement would represent Israel's latest attempt to cultivate local partners who might challenge Hamas’ control of the Strip.

A broader coalition, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), Egypt, the UAE and the US, is reportedly involved in seeking alternatives to Hamas rule.

"These popular forces are a two-edged sword," Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Jerusalem's deputy mayor and Foreign Ministry special envoy, told Euronews.

"We're not talking about peace-loving democrats. We're talking about gangs who've had enough of the biggest gang of all, which is Hamas."

Although wary of Abu Shabab, Hassan-Nahoum also acknowledged Israel has little choice. "There were two Gazas," she explained. "There was the Gaza of Hamas ... and then there was the second Gaza of the disenfranchised people who weren't part of Hamas."

And some among the disenfranchised have simply reached a breaking point, Hassan-Nahoum said. "These gangs, I believe, have just gotten to the point where they feel that Hamas is weak, and obviously, they've created the biggest catastrophe for the Gaza Strip in history."

Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa, who transitioned from al-Qaeda affiliate leader and wanted terrorist under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani to a legitimate political role as the country’s leader, was an example where the 180-degree turn could work despite skepticism, Hassan-Nahoum added.