(June 5, 2025)
Abu Shabab claims to be securing humanitarian aid convoys entering Gaza, while some have accused his gang of looting them.
The arming of Abu Shabab was carried out without the approval of Israel’s security cabinet. It was led by Israeli security bodies, and was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to defense sources.
Haaretz also reported that Lieberman directly linked the group to IS, saying: „The Hamasha clan are in essence lawless criminals who in recent years wanted to give themselves an ideological angle or spin, so they became Salafi [jihadists] and began identifying with ISIS.“
Though the group now brands itself as an „anti-terror“ force, locals see little distinction between their behaviour and that of organised crime syndicates. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported that the group rebranded from the Anti-Terrorism Unit to The Popular Forces in May 2025 – possibly to obscure its affiliations.
Israel’s prime minister says he’s using what he called clans to fight Hamas in Gaza.
He says it’s a way of saving Israeli soldiers’ lives.
Al Jazeera’s Dmitry Medvedenko reports:
Wadephul also criticised the Israeli government‘s announcement that it would approve 22 more illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
However, he said that Germany would continue to deliver weapons to Israel.
In response, Netanyahu‘s office said: „Israel is working to defeat Hamas in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment.“
In recent months there have been several reports that Israel is suspected of supporting, or turning a blind eye to, armed gangs that loot aid and food depots in Gaza.
Several Israeli news websites reported on Thursday that the armed gang is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of a large clan in southern Gaza.
„Israel has provided assault rifles and light weapons to crime families in Gaza, on Netanyahu‘s orders,“ Lieberman, the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and a former finance minister and deputy prime minister, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Thursday.
„The weapons are being transferred to criminals and offenders and are being directed at Israel.
„In my opinion, it did not pass cabinet approval. The head of the Shin Bet knows, I‘m not sure the chief of staff knows. We‘re talking about the equivalent of Isis in Gaza,“ he added, referencing the Islamic State group.