Abu Shabab, Head von Gaza Milizia im exklusiven Interview, sagt, die Hamas sei „abscheulich und verabscheuungswürdig“ und nähert sich ihrem Ende

Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin leader from the Tarabin tribe, has become a central figure in the armed resistance against Hamas in southern Gaza. Operating from Rafah, he leads a network of fighters who reject the label „militia“ and claim to be combating terrorism in the Strip. His movement has grown rapidly in popularity, especially among young Gazans disillusioned with Hamas’s rule.

Abu Shabab returned to Gaza from Sinai shortly before the October 7 attacks. Deeply affected by the violence and suffering brought upon his community, especially the killing of 52 people, including his own brother, he began organizing armed groups with the support of the Palestinian Authority. While Israel is believed to have provided weapons indirectly, he denies any coordination with Israeli forces and maintains his allegiance lies solely with the PA.

According to Abu Shabab, Hamas has lost its legitimacy and the trust of the population. He accuses the group of living comfortably underground while ordinary Gazans endure destruction, hunger, and displacement. After moving with his family to the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, he witnessed widespread deprivation and what he describes as systematic theft of aid by Hamas. In response, he and his group began redirecting food aid directly to the public, bypassing Hamas entirely.

As his initiative gained traction, more civilians and former fighters joined his ranks, some even surrendering hidden weapons. He claims that Hamas’s forces are now severely weakened, made up mostly of poorly trained teenagers, and unable to effectively confront his fighters. His organization now provides not only security but also essential services, such as water and education, in areas of Rafah under their control.

Despite being branded a traitor by Hamas and wanted for crimes such as treason, Abu Shabab portrays his mission as both humanitarian and patriotic. He says his goal is to liberate Gaza from Hamas’s grip, protect civilians, and help restore normalcy. He supports an end to the conflict and calls for the release of all innocent hostages, stressing that the people of Gaza have already paid a devastating price under Hamas’s rule.

Interesting quotes:

>“My clan is spread over an area that extends from the Negev to the Sinai. We are a big family and everyone supports me and my actions“

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> Don’t call us a militia. We are groups fighting terrorism in the Gaza Strip

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>They call me a criminal, a thief, a member of ISIS, all to frighten people and keep them from contacting me

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>But that has not worked. Anyone who kidnaps and kills children, like the Bibas family, has no right to define or judge others. They are subhuman, vile and despicable people and their end is near.

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>Hamas planned their attack on the fateful day, and carried out their attacks without any consideration of the miserable people living in Gaza. We lost everything. We lost our homes, property, jobs and money while they live in their tunnels underground and lack nothing. Is there a wrong greater than that?

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> I could not stand the humiliation of suffering of war, especially after Hamas treated us with suspicion because of our connection to the clan in the Sinai, which opposes the Muslim Brothers. They murdered 52 people, among them my brother, and we Bedouins have honor. We cannot remain silent after such painful humiliation, so I decided, with the support of the PA, to form the Abu-Shabab group.

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> Soon after moving to the humanitarian safe zone, Abu Shabab said he saw how Hamas was disrupting the distribution of aid. „They took all of it,“ he said. „I decided this cannot go on and began stopping the aid trucks and taking the food to give to the people. I did this for months. Hamas was after me, but my conscious was clear because I was feeding women and children.“

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>Abu Shabab says he wants all of the Israeli hostages to go home and the fighting to end. „All innocents, from all sides, should be allowed to return home,“ he said. „The people of Gaza have paid an unbearable price for an insane terror group and we will not leave the Strip. We will fight Hamas until the last one of them,“ he said.

An interesting development and one that’s surprising to have taken so long.

I’ve been waiting for the Israelis to find their Kadyrov for quite some time now. Their inability/unwillingness to do so thus far seemed like quite a bleak portent.

Hopefully the emergence of this and similar figures can help bring the violence to an end.