Popular Forces

The **Popular Forces**,[a] also known as the **Anti-Terror Service**,[b] is a Palestinian nationalist anti-Hamas militant group, that is active in the Gaza Strip and the Northern West Bank.

Yassar Abu Shabab used to lead this group until his death on December 4, 2025.

Following his death, Ghassan Duhine was elected as its new chairman.

The Popular Forces are Israel-backed and allegedly Islamic State-Sinai-linked. 

500 to 700 men approximately work for this group in easten Rafa and eastern Khan Yunis. 

Also, reportedly the Popular Army – Northern Forces militia of the northern Gaza Strip, led by Ashraf al-Mansi operates as part of the Popular Forces.

In June 2025, it was uncovered that Israel backed this group but the group has been active since the beginning of the Rafah offensive in May 2024.

The Popular Forces were able to come to power in Rafah during the Gaza war amid the power vacuum left by a weakened Hamas. 

The Popular Forces used to control territory and aid routes near the borders between Egypt and Palestine, and were accused of looting humanitarian aid entering the Palestinian Territories, described by a United Nations official as "grand larceny". 

This group denies large scale looting and maintains it protects civilians from "the terror of Hamas's governments" and denies large-scale looting. 

In June 2025, the Popular Forces announced that they were helping to protect aid shipments sent to distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and aid truck drivers told CNN that Abu Shabab had furnished men to protect aid convoys. 

In the same month, the Popular Forces and the Israel Defense Forces were accused of shooting and killing multiple Gazans seeking aid at a GHF aid site.

Israeli officials, military spokespeople, and mayors acknowledged arming the Popular Forces, as part of program arming and supporting Palestinian nationalist elements/clans in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that criticize Hamas and Hezbollah.

Abu Shabab, its chief, acknowledges he and his group cooperates with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Mossad and Shabak.

However, the Islamic Resistance Movement (IRM), an unnamed Israeli security official, and Israeli opposition politicians such as Lieberman, Lapid, and Golan have alleged that the Palestinian Nationalist movement "Popular Forces" is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)–Sinai Province (ISIL-SP) and have lambasted Israel for supporting the group and its affiliates. Indeed, the Popular Forces recruited militants who used to fight for ISIS in the Sinai in Sinai insurgency. 

Muhammed Shahada, member of the European Council of Foreign Relations, asserted Yasser Abu Shabab recruited "convicted murderers, thieves, collaborators, drug dealers or members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sinai or in Gaza itself." 

Abu Shabab's office denied connections to IS, labelling the allegations as propaganda meant to sow hostility between Arabs and Israelis.

## History 
### Origins and characteristics 
Yasser Abu Shabab, was a local clan leader, gangster, and former drug trafficker convict, who founded this group. 

Abu Shabab was arrested by Hamas in 2015 on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 25 years in Asda prison, located in Khan Yunis.

After Yassar Abu Shabab escaped prison as it was attacked by Israel after the October 7 attacks. 

Reportedly, after his escape, Abu Shabab headed to the Kerem Shalom border crossing and assembled a force of a few hundred men, exerting control over the territory near it.

Under its current form and name, the group emerged in Rafah in May 2024 amid Israel's Rafah offensive. According to sources, members of the group used to work for Salafi jihadist factions in Gaza and the northern West Bank, Palestinian National Authority security services, and various criminal gangs in the neighbouring Sinai. 

The group has 300 men, out of which 50 were recruited by Abu Shabab personally, while the other 250 men were allegedly recruited through the Intelligence Services of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). It took control of a vast swathes of the Nasr Neighborhood in Eastern Rafah which was significantly damaged by bombing from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and aid routes around the Keram Shalom border crossing, including territory 1.5 km from the crossing. The Popular Forces had also expanded into Khan Yunis, north of Rafah.

The Popular Forces are armed with assault rifles and equipped with radios and night-vision goggles. Denying being armed by Israel,  Abu Shabab claimed that the Popular Forces were funded by "individual efforts and donations" and that they were armed with "primitive weapons" which were inherited from local tribes. He claimed that his group was a humanitarian effort and that it was allowing families to escape from "war and famine". Abu Shabab stated that his group were grassroots forces and that they were not an official authority, nor were they operating under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). However, Abu Shabab had stated that his militia operates "under Palestinian legitimacy", ostensibly a reference to the PA. Major General Anwar Rajab, spokesman of the Palestinian Authority security services, told CNN that there were no connections between the PA and the Popular Forces. The Guardian noted that Abu Shabab's statements often appeared contradictory and in contradiction to previous statements or verifiable evidence.

### Commanders and leadership 
### Aid looting 
In 2024, amid severe food shortages in Gaza, the Popular Forces were widely accused of looting humanitarian aid by truck drivers, Gazan transportation company owners, aid workers, aid groups, and international humanitarian officials. On 16 November 2024, gangsters, including the Popular Forces, looted 109 UN aid trucks, in what NPR stated was the "biggest looting of UN aid anywhere, ever." A truck driver whose truck was ambushed by gang members said that they identified Yasser Abu Shabab as their boss. Another Gazan said that he attempted to buy flour from Abu Shabab's gang and saw the gang's gunmen guarding warehouses containing stolen food from the United Nations, and that the gunmen had threatened him with weapons.

### Links to Israel 
UN officials said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been instrumental in facilitating the looting. One official said “These guys are probably the only people in Gaza who can get 100 yards from an Israeli tank or Israeli soldiers without being shot”. 

A diplomatic official told CNN that "The fact that [Yassar Abu Shabab] is not targeted by Israel (or broader Jewish people) is a clear indication of how they see him", and alleged that collaboration existed between Abu Shabab and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (which the GHF denied, and Abu Shabab declined to comment on).

Aid workers and locals stated that armed men were able to loot aid trucks "in plain sight" of the IDF. Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories stated that "theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza." Whittall later clarified that he was referring to gangs "such as Abu Shabab".

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General, stated that "The reports – the idea that the Israeli forces may be allowing looters or not doing enough to prevent [looting] is frankly fairly alarming, given the responsibilities of Israel as the occupying power to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed safely". According to analysts, it is likely that Abu Shabab communicates with Israeli forces, "based on evidence of his movements in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza", and his proximity to Israeli military positions. According to The Guardian, videos posted on Abu Shabab's Facebook account show his men operating with Israeli soldiers.

In June 2025, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, alleged that Israel secretly supplies weapons to crime families in Gaza to make Hamas weaker. Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is arming anti-Hamas clans and elements in Gaza against Hamas. He stated, "On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What's wrong with that? It's only good. It only saves the lives of IDF soldiers". Associated Press confirmed that one of the groups sponsored by Israel is the Popular Forces. Reportedly, Israel has supplied Abu Shabab's group with Kalashnikov rifles, some stolen from the Islamic Resistance Movement militants. Benjamin Netanyahu's office approved of such an operation. 

Speaking to *The New York Times*, retired Brigadier General Shlomo Brom stated that in backing the Popular Forces, Israel seeks "other solutions" to post-war governance of Gaza, other than Israel or Abu Mazen's Palestinian National Authority. 

However, *The Economist* disputed that Israel is tapping the Popular Forces as a post-war ruler of Gaza. Israeli support for the Popular Forces has caused controversy among Israeli opposition leaders.

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Shin Bet was allegedly responsible for the creation of the Popular Forces. Reportedly, chief of Shin Bet Ronen Bar proposed the group as an alternative to Hamas in small areas of Gaza during his talks with Benjamin Netanyahu. 

A security official told Ynet that Shin Bet armed the Popular Forces in a "planned and managed" manner, with the goal of "reducing Israeli military casualties while systematically undermining Hamas through targeted strikes, infrastructure destruction and the promotion of rival local forces".

In a statement, the family of Abu Shabab stated that they "were surprised by video footage broadcast by the resistance showing the involvement of Yasser's groups within a dangerous security framework, reaching the point of operating within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces, who are brutally killing our people". The family announced it will completely disassociate with Abu Shabab, and that it held no objections to Abu Shabab being "eliminated". 

Abu Shabab responded to their statements, saying that they were “fabricated and false” and that they are a part of a "media campaign" targeting him and his "colleagues". Hamas, backed by Islamic Republic of Iran, stated that Abu Shabab is "a tool used by the Israeli occupation to fragment the Palestinian internal front", and pledged to oppose him. Abu Shabab acknowledged collaboration with Israel.

In May and June 2025, in what *The New York Times* and NPR described as a rebranding, Abu Shabab announced that his group was securing aid into the Gaza Strip, protecting routes to US and Israeli aid sites administered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Despite this, spokesperson of GHF said that the organization had "no collaboration" with Abu Shabab. He said that all GHF workers were unarmed and none belong to Abu Shabab's group. In an interview with CNN, truck drivers said that Abu Shabab provided 200 armed men to protect their convoys. In social media posts, Abu Shabab claimed responsibility for safeguarding aid trucks, and organizing and directing aid convoys. UN humanitarian agency OCHA stated that "it did not pay anyone" to guard aid trucks entering Gaza. In June 2025, Abu Shabab released videos calling on citizens of Rafah to return, promising them food, shelter, and protection in makeshift camps which were built under the watch of IDF.

On 6 July 2025, Abu Shabab, in an interview with Radio Makan, stated that the Popular Forces will continue to fight Hamas even if a ceasefire is archived. The interview was conducted hours after the Palestinian Joint Operations Room said that his blood was "permitted", calling for his assassination. Abu Shabab said that Hamas is in the "final stages" before its elimination and that its "fighting its last battles". He also said that Popular Forces are able to "operate freely" in areas under Israeli control and indicated "coordination" with IDF. Abu Shabab said that the Popular Forces would rule the Gaza Strip after Hamas was overthrown, and that his group was not in conflict with the Palestinian Authority. Abu Shabab also said that October 7 attacks were a "crime" and that they caused the "Palestinian suffering".

### Allegations of connections to Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda (AQ) 
Israeli support for the Popular Forces has caused controversy among Israeli opposition politicians and leaders, some whom have described the move as "complete madness", due to the Popular Forces' alleged connections with IS. Former defense minister and Netanyahu rival Avigdor Libermann said, "We’re talking about the equivalent of ISIS in Gaza" and that "No one can guarantee that these weapons will not be directed towards Israel". Yesh Atid party member and Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid declared on social media, "After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished handing over millions of dollars to Hamas, he moved on to supplying weapons to groups in Gaza affiliated with ISIS – all improvised, with no strategic planning, and all leading to more disasters." 

Yair Golan of The Democrats party said that Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich "[are] creating a new ticking bomb in Gaza".

Hamas Politboro member and spokesman Basem Naim told *Newsweek* that the Popular Forces has connections to ISIS, and that it is a group of "agents, drug dealers, thieves, and extremists linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (which it regards as an "creation of Central Intelligence Agency/MI6/Mossad)". 

The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank stated that Abu Shabab's clan, from which most Popular Forces fighters are drawn from, is connected to the IS group.

One of the group's commanders was reported to be 33-year-old Issam Nabahin, who previously fought for the terror outfit Islamic State during the Sinai insurgency. 

He might have been sentenced to death but escaped prison in 2023. &#x5B;*nbsp;sourcenbsp;needed*&#x5D; 

Another prominent group member, Ghassan Duhine, allegedly pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda/ISIL in 2015 and participated in the 2007 kidnapping of BBC News journalist Alan Johnston. 

An unnamed Israeli security official told *The i Paper* that the group had close ties to "ISIS affiliates across the border in Egypt". 

Accusations of links to al-Qaeda & ISIS stem from the Popular Forces cooperating with Egyptian Jihadi terrorist groups in smuggling drugs from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.

Likewise several high-ranking members of the Popular Forces used to previously work together with and/or joined ISIS. These include Issam Nabahin and Ghassan Duhine, as mentioned above, who were members of Islamic State in the Sinai and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Army of Islam (Palestine), respectively.

One prominent Popular Army – Northern Forces lieutenant, Abu Anas Zeidan, is reportedly a former Salafi jihadist who was part of the Islamic State before joining al-Mansi's group.

#### Dispute over allegations 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, writing for *Middle East Forum*, disputed the allegations that the Popular Forces is linked to IS. He argues that it would be unacceptable or very rare (except in border infiltrations) for members of the Islamist fundamentalism terror group ISIS to wave Palestinian flags and don the Keffiyeh.

While al-Tamini concedes that some members of the group may have a Salafi background, he states this is far removed from the notion of  collaboration between Mossad and ISIS against Hamas. 

*The Economist* put forward a similar argument and reported that while there wasn't much evidence of Abu Shabab claiming ties to any jihadist group, Abu Shabab involved himself indirectly by his Bedouin tribe briefly involved in cross-border smuggling with the Islamic State – Sinai Province. *The Guardian* noted that the basis of Avigdor Libermann's assertions of the Popular Forces' ties to IS were not clear. Abu Shabab would deny any connections to IS, labeling them as propaganda meant to sow hostility between Arabs and Israelis.

### Connection to the United Arab Emirates 
In October 2025, Sky News reported that the Popular Forces had been smuggling vehicles from an Israeli bedouin car dealer who smuggles vehicles into the Gaza Strip. Senior commander of Popular Forces Ghassan Duhine has been photographed next to a white Isuzu with a "UAE" written on the edge of a license plate. According to Sky News, the logo and name of the Popular Forces' military wing, the Counter-Terrorism Service, is identical to a similar group called the Counter-Terrorism Service in Yemen that has allegedly received Emirati support. In response, the Emirati government stated "The United Arab Emirates categorically rejects and refutes these baseless allegations" and "These claims are entirely unfounded and misrepresent the UAE's policies and actions."

## Allied groups 
### Ashraf al-Mansi group 
 
A northern Gaza militia, which has been referred to by the names "The People's Army – Forces of Northern Gaza" or "People's Army Northern Forces" is reportedly operating in Beit Lahia and Jabalia as part of the Popular Forces. The militia is led by the Gaza City resident Ashraf al-Mansi. Following the 10 October ceasefire, Hamas forces redeployed in Jabalia and its refugee camp, where they reportedly launched a crackdown on the al-Mansi group, arresting and killing its members. However, on 14 October, al-Mansi released a video where he denied that a Hamas crackdown had taken place, announced that his group managed to take control of several areas in northern Gaza, and warned Hamas forces against approaching their territories.

### Shawqi Abu Nasira group 
Shawqi Abu Nasira, a former Palestinian Authority lieutenant colonel and Fatah member, leads an anti-Hamas militia based in eastern Khan Yunis. While the existence of the group was only revealed in late November 2025, it had reportedly already been active for several months. Abu Nasira has stated that his group is not collaborating with Israel, and has stated that Iran, which supports Hamas, is the enemy "of Islam and Sunnis". The rest of the Abu Nasira family has disavowed him. During the 1980s, Abu Nasira was reportedly imprisoned by Israel for militant activity, and briefly escaped from prison. Following his release and the implementation of the Oslo Accords, he joined the nascent Palestinian Authority security forces. Abu Nasira's son was reportedly killed during the Gaza war due to his opposition to Hamas.

### Others 
On 20 December 2025, the Popular Forces' armed wing, Counter-Terrorism Service, announced a military exercise called “*Ensuring the Commander-1*” which was aimed to test the CTS' readiness in emergency situations and review coordination among its ranks. During the exercise, the Popular Forces' leader, Ghassan Duhine, revealed the existence of another militia operating in western Rafah, known as the Popular Defense Forces – Khalil al-Wazir Battalion.