Yasser Abu Shabab

Yasser Abu Shabab (born December 19, 1993) is a Palestinian militia leader from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. He leads an armed group called the Popular Forces, also known as the Anti-Terror Service. His group controls parts of eastern Rafah during the ongoing Gaza war.^[1][2][3][4]

He is called the "Pablo Escobar of Gaza" because of his past involvement in smuggling and his powerful role in local armed politics.^[5][6]

Yasser Abu Shabab was born into the Tarabin tribe, a Bedouin clan in southern Gaza. He left school at a young age and was later arrested by Hamas for drug trafficking and theft. In 2015, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.^[7][8]

In October 2023, during Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, the prison where Abu Shabab was held was bombed. He escaped and later formed the Popular Forces in early 2024. His group operates in Rafah, where it helps control aid convoys, sets up checkpoints, and sometimes clashes with other armed groups.^[9][10] The group would seize the village of Al-Bayuk, and turn it into their de facto capital.^[11]

The Popular Forces are made up mostly of members from Abu Shabab’s tribe and nearby communities, and are said to have alleged ties to Salafist groups.^[12] The group claims it protects humanitarian aid and keeps order in areas where Hamas has lost control. However, some reports say the group has also stolen aid, worked with the IDF, and used violence against civilians.^{[13][14][15][16][17]}

Hamas, the armed group that had de facto control over Gaza, accuses Abu Shabab of working with Israel and being a criminal. In 2025, a Hamas court ordered him to turn himself in. Armed clashes have taken place between the Popular Forces and Hamas fighters first in Rafah and now in Khan Yunis.^[18]

News reports say that Israel supports Abu Shabab’s group as part of a plan to weaken Hamas. Israeli officials have confirmed giving weapons to clans in Gaza, though they did not name specific groups. Some people in Gaza view Abu Shabab as a traitor, while others see him as a local leader who stands up to Hamas.^[19]

• Popular Forces administration in the Gaza Strip