Yasser Abu Shabab, the militia leader who oversaw eastern Rafah and had been cooperating with Israel in recent months, was killed Thursday, Israeli officials confirmed.
Abu Shabab headed a group that calls itself the Popular Forces, an organization that had emerged as a local partner to Israel against Hamas in parts of southern Gaza.
According to members of the militia who spoke to ynet, an internal dispute among several families escalated into an armed confrontation during which one of those involved opened fire at Abu Shabab. Israeli officials said they assessed that he was killed in the incident, but the militia insisted he survived the shooting, which had no connection to Hamas.
Following the announcement of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in October, led by U.S. President Donald Trump, concerns arose that the territory could see power struggles between Hamas and local clans. As part of its effort to suppress the clan uprising, Hamas dispatched senior fighters to assassinate Abu Shabab, but the attempt failed in part because he was located in an area currently under Israeli control.
Abu Shabab’s militia told ynet in early October that it welcomed the ceasefire and the return of the hostages, but said it would continue to hold the Rafah area and defend its lands. It said its vision for Gaza’s future was “a safe place, without terrorist organizations, without unnecessary weapons and without wars.”
Meanwhile, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that Israeli forces killed the Hamas battalion commander for eastern Rafah, his deputy and a company commander as they attempted to escape the group’s underground tunnel network in the “Rafah pocket,” where dozens of terrorists remain entrenched below ground.
“Earlier this week (Sunday), IDF troops eliminated four terrorists who exited from an underground infrastructure within the area of the Hamas underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah,” the IDF said. “The elimination of the terrorists was possible due to the consistent and precise activity of IDF and Shin Bet forces in the area of Rafah, and following extensive intelligence activities, including questioning and guidance conducted by the Shin Bet in the area.
“Following an intelligence analysis, it is now confirmed that the commander of Hamas’ Eastern Rafah Battalion, his deputy commander, and other Hamas terrorists were eliminated, including:
"Muhammad Jawad Muhammad al-Bawab – Commander of Hamas’ Eastern Rafah Battalion, who oversaw the planning of the infiltration of the battalion’s terrorists into communities in the southern Negev during the October 7th brutal massacre. The terrorist advanced terror attacks against IDF troops throughout the war; Ismail Kanaan Abd al-Hay Abu Labdeh – Deputy Commander of Hamas’ Eastern Rafah Battalion, who oversaw the planning of the infiltration of the battalion’s terrorists into communities in the southern Negev during the October 7 massacre.
"Abdullah Azi Ahmed Hamad – a terrorist in Hamas’ Eastern Rafah Battalion who operated as a security guard within the battalion commander’s inner circle. The terrorist was the son of Ghazi Hamad, a senior member of the Hamas Political Bureau; Tawfiq Khaled Tawfiq Salem – Commander of a regional platoon in Hamas’ Eastern Rafah Battalion.
"The IDF added that “since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, the troops are securing the area and dismantling terror infrastructure above and below ground. So far, the IDF and Shin Bet have eliminated more than 40 terrorists in the area of the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah. IDF troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat."