Drug trafficker, traitor, gangster: What you didn't know about Yasser Abu Shabab, the anti-Hamas clan leader helping Israel in Gaza

Yasser Abu Shabab profile: Depending on where you look, Yasser Abu Shabab is described as a gangster, drug trafficker, traitor of the Palestinian cause, or a collaborator of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in its fight against Hamas in Gaza. He is a school dropout, and was once jailed by Hamas for drug trafficking. With the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly acknowledging the arming of anti-Hamas militia in Gaza, Abu Shabab and his group the Popular Forces, also known as the Anti-Terror Service, are suddenly in the limelight.

Here is what you didn't know about Abu Shabab.

Who is Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of militants armed by Israel in Gaza?

As per a profile on the Israeli think tank INSS or Institute for National Security Studies, Abu Shabab is a member of Gaza’s powerful Tarabin tribe and the newly minted leader of pro-Israel militia called the Popular Forces, also known as the Anti-Terror Service or Anti-Terror Front.

Shabab was previously involved in arms smuggling and drug trafficking, according to the think tank.

He is reported to have had ties in the past with the Islamic State terror group, but later rejected their ideology.

His tribe has disavowed him in late 2024, when his group of around 300 fighters joined forces with IDF.

Shabab is among the top targets for assassination in the hit list of Hamas, which has tried and failed to kill him, twice.

What is the Popular Forces militia?

The Popular Forces militia is an Israeli-backed and allegedly Islamic State-linked Palestinian armed group active in the Rafah region of Gaza. Led by Abu Shabab, it consists of up to 300 members, including former Palestinian security personnel.

Variously described as a clan, gang, or vigilante group, Popular Forces work alongside Israeli forces.

While the Israeli side says they are helping protect humanitarian aid from Hamas interference, Hamas has accused the Popular Forces of looting the aid, particularly in Rafah.

Popular Forces reportedly drove out Hamas forces from eastern Rafah. They control territory and aid routes near the Egypt-Gaza border. Their success has led to an experimental food distribution project in eastern Rafah. This model mirrors the US strategy with the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF in Syria.

While one set of reports say the group had looted humanitarian aid, the Popular Forces insist they are protecting the aid and the civilians from Hamas, which it described as aid thieves.

It has been reported that Israel gave weapons and equipment to Abu Shabab's group in 2025.

Abu Shabab's links with the Palestinian Authority

Some reports claimed that the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is also opposed to Hamas, is helping in the militia recruitment of Abu Shabab's group, but others, citing PA spokespersons, said there's no such cooperation.

Abu Shabab was reportedly involved in the past with Fatah - the armed wing of PA.

According to some observers, it is expected that he could help in the eventual reintegration of PA forces into Gaza, as tribes begin to assume governance roles during Israel’s operations against Hamas.

Abu Shabab had a shady past of drug trafficking, was jailed by Hamas

Born on 19 December 1993, Abu Shabab is from the Bedouin tribe of Tarabin in Rafah.

During the war in Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel, Abu Shabab emerged as an opposition figure to Hamas.

Since dropping out of school, he trafficked drugs such as hashish and psychoactive narcotics. There are also accounts of his cigarette and drug smuggling from Egypt and Israel into the Gaza Strip, including through tunnels.

He had been jailed in Gaza for alleged drug trafficking and theft and released when the Israel-Hamas war began.

His clan was accused of looting aid trucks such as the Kerem Shalom aid convoy pillage.

Currently, he controls eastern Rafah, according to reports.