In a dramatic escalation of Gaza’s internal power rifts, Hamas has officially ordered Yasser Abu Shabab, a prominent Bedouin clan leader and militia commander, to surrender within 10 days. The directive comes amid serious accusations of treason, rebellion, and collaborating with Israel — charges Abu Shabab fiercely denies.
According to Hamas’s Interior Ministry, Abu Shabab has been accused of forming an illegal militia dubbed the “Popular Forces,” allegedly responsible for looting UN aid convoys and undermining Hamas’s authority in Rafah, a key city in southern Gaza. Officials claim that Abu Shabab’s group has been receiving covert support and instructions from Israeli forces to weaken Hamas from within — a claim that has stirred deep controversy and fear among local communities.
Yasser Abu Shabab’s story is already the stuff of local legend. Born in Rafah in the early 1990s, he rose from relative obscurity to become a feared clan leader among the Tarabin Bedouins. In 2015, Hamas convicted him of drug trafficking and imprisoned him for 15 years, but an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s main prison during the October 2023 war freed him and hundreds of other inmates. Instead of fleeing Gaza, Abu Shabab regrouped and established the Popular Forces — a loosely organized militia now estimated to have about 300 fighters. He insists that his fighters exist only to protect local families and secure humanitarian aid shipments from opportunistic theft.
However, Hamas officials see things very differently. They argue that Abu Shabab’s forces are acting outside any legitimate security structure and undermining Gaza’s fragile governance at a time when the enclave is under extreme siege from Israel. The tension between Hamas and local clans has always simmered below the surface, but recent Israeli operations and aid chaos have amplified these divisions. Abu Shabab’s supporters say he is filling a vacuum left by Hamas’s overstretched police and security units, which are busy fighting Israeli forces in northern and central Gaza.
The situation has now reached a breaking point. Hamas’s statement, published widely in Gaza, called on Abu Shabab to surrender “immediately” to avoid bloodshed and face the “Revolutionary Court.” The group also warned ordinary Gazans not to shelter him or his fighters and offered a hotline for tip-offs about his whereabouts. Hamas security forces have already launched targeted raids in eastern Rafah, but Abu Shabab has so far managed to evade capture, moving between safe houses protected by loyal tribesmen.
For many in Gaza, this power struggle is deeply unsettling. The humanitarian crisis is already catastrophic, with food shortages, collapsed medical services, and tens of thousands of people displaced. Now, clashes between Hamas and armed clans risk turning Gaza’s internal front into yet another battleground — and further complicating the delivery of aid. Human rights monitors fear that any armed confrontation between Abu Shabab’s men and Hamas’s elite forces could ignite local feuds that will persist long after the current war ends.
The regional context makes this standoff even more sensitive. Israel has been accused of backing local militias like Abu Shabab’s to weaken Hamas’s grip, part of a broader divide-and-rule tactic that fuels internal rifts. Hamas, already under immense military and diplomatic pressure, sees these clans as a dangerous proxy threat. For its part, Abu Shabab continues to broadcast messages through local intermediaries, declaring he will not hand himself over to what he calls Hamas’s “kangaroo courts.”
What happens next could reshape local power dynamics in Rafah and beyond. If Abu Shabab refuses to surrender, Hamas will almost certainly attempt a full-scale operation to capture or eliminate him, risking civilian casualties and fresh internal conflict. If he surrenders, he faces an opaque trial and likely execution or lifelong imprisonment.
In a war zone where survival often depends on which local strongman controls aid, checkpoints, and weapons, the story of Yasser Abu Shabab is more than just an isolated rebellion — it is a stark example of how Gaza’s endless wars can fracture communities from the inside. Whether Hamas’s ultimatum succeeds or fails, the fallout will be felt by families already exhausted by bombs, hunger, and a seemingly endless siege.
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