DayofPal—Yasser Abu Shabab, an Israeli militia leader in the Gaza Strip who was widely known for looting humanitarian aid allowed to Gaza, has been killed, according to several Israeli media outlets.
Israel’s Channel 14 first reported his death on Thursday, offering no further details. Channel 12 later said Abu Shabab died after clashes with “Gaza clans” and was pronounced dead at Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel.
During Israel’s war on Gaza, Abu Shabab became a notorious figure. His group, known as the “Popular Forces,” was accused of stealing scarce humanitarian supplies that Israeli authorities allowed into the enclave.
Israeli officials had previously acknowledged working with various armed groups in Gaza, including Abu Shabab’s, as part of an effort to cultivate local forces opposed to Hamas.
“The Israeli military and officials presented him as part of an attempt to counterbalance Hamas.”
Hamas’s Radaa security posted a photo of Abu Shabab on Telegram with the caption: “As we told you, ‘Israel won’t protect you.”
Abu Shabab’s group was widely feared in Gaza for alleged involvement in drug trafficking and the obstruction of aid deliveries. They were accused of preventing trucks from reaching northern Gaza, where displaced families were facing severe hunger.
Abu Shabab was reportedly at the top of Hamas’s assassination list, for he committed crimes against Gaza people during the war. Even years earlier, he was jailed in Gaza’s Asda prison for smuggling drugs and cooperating with ISIS.
Abu Shabab and his militia have also been tasked with abducting Gaza civilian, including nurse Tasneem Al-Hams, and fighters, including those being trapped in Rafah Tunnels.
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