Who is the Gazan challenging Hamas rule, and does he have a chance?
As President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, the question of who could govern Gaza if Hamas loses power is one increasingly being discussed. Among the emerging options are local clans and militia leaders.
One of those mentioned is Yaser Abu Shabab. Once jailed by Hamas on charges of theft and corruption, he now commands groups of armed men in Gaza's Rafah who patrol and protect aid convoys while openly challenging Hamas's power. "We are not a militia," he insisted in an interview with Israeli outlet Ynet. "Call us counter-terror forces. Our goal is to protect Palestinian human rights from Hamas terrorism."
Abu Shabab’s group, known as the "Popular Forces," began forming in early 2024 after the IDF entered Rafah, and Hamas lost control of the area. Allegedly under Israeli protection, his men now escort aid trucks, distribute supplies, and assert control over parts of eastern Rafah.
For Israel, Abu Shabab represents a test case. Can homegrown actors replace Hamas in Gaza — one enclave at a time?
Joseph Braude, president of the Center for Peace Communications, told Fox News Digital, "Emerging enclaves like Abu Shabab’s could become building blocks of a post-Hamas order. Whether they develop into territories of self-rule or are later folded into a larger governing authority, they are a necessary part of what’s to come."
He also dismissed claims that Abu Shabab has ties to ISIS. "That’s disinformation pushed by Hamas and repeated in the West," Braude said. "His cousins in Sinai are helping Egypt fight ISIS. He’s not part of that world."
But others see Abu Shabab’s emergence as a troubling echo of past Israeli miscalculations.
Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Forum for Palestinian Studies at Tel Aviv University, told Fox News Digital: "This is a bizarre gang. No ideology, no legitimacy — just a criminal group under Israeli protection."
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Milshtein claimed Israel’s support for the group includes captured Hamas weapons and coordination from Palestinian officers based in Ramallah. "Hamas even fired RPGs at them during the ceasefire," he said. "And Israel responded by striking Hamas. It’s clear they’re being protected."
Abu Shabab, who belongs to the influential Tarabin Bedouin clan, says his resistance began when he saw Hamas diverting humanitarian aid. "I started seizing trucks and handing out food," he told Ynet. "I became a wanted man by Hamas, but I fed children. My conscience is clear."
Inside Gaza, reactions are mixed. Some locals reportedly follow Abu Shabab because they fear Hamas more than they trust him. Others, like political analyst Mkhaimar Abusada, claim his support is shallow.
"He’s been disowned by his own tribe," Abusada claimed, currently a visiting scholar at Northwestern University. "The Tarabin see him as a collaborator. If Israel leaves Gaza, Abu Shabab will vanish — or be hunted down by Hamas."
In his Ynet interview, Abu Shabab said, "We will not leave the Gaza Strip and will continue to fight Hamas until the last one is dead," and added that his group supports the return of Israeli hostages. "Hamas calls me a thief, a traitor, even ISIS — all to scare people. But they’re the ones who killed children, like the Bibas family. They live in tunnels. We lost everything."
In his interview on Sunday, Abu Shabab denied any connection with Israel. "We are people of peace and brotherhood and do not want wars," he emphasized. "Our connection is with the Palestinian Authority — that’s all."
Still, Milshtein sees the project as short-sighted. "There’s no strategy here," he said. "Just tactical improvisation. The same people who failed to prevent October 7 are now betting on someone like Abu Shabab. It’s delusion — and it’s dangerous."
Braude said Abu Shabab is no ideologue. "He’s a fighter, not a politician," he said. "But if someone like him can hold territory while professionals within it build a civil administration, then that’s a meaningful precedent."
Fox News Digital reached out to the IDF and Israeli government for comment on allegations it was funding and protecting Abu Shabab and his militia.