Media: Tribal feud sparks death of Gaza militia leader

The cause behind Gaza militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab’s death on December 4, a leading figure opposing Hamas, was a tribal dispute involving two members of his own Tarabin clan.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the assailants, from the Debari and Abu Suneima families—both part of the broader Bedouin Tarabin tribe—took part in the shooting that fatally wounded Abu Shabab.

The sources said that the attack occurred on December 4 and ended quickly when Abu Shabab’s escorts shot the attackers dead.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, citing security officials, Abu Shabab succumbed to his injuries at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, southern Israel, after being transferred there following the attack.

Abu Shabab’s armed group is based in Rafah in southern Gaza. In recent months, Abu Shabab became a prominent figure among Hamas opponents in the Gaza Strip, leading an armed force aimed at weakening Hamas and working in cooperation with Israel.

In earlier statements, he maintained that his group’s sole affiliation was with the Palestinian Authority, denying any claims of collaboration with Israel.

He had proposed rebranding his militia, the Popular Forces in Gaza, as a counterterrorism organisation.

Hamas and its supporters branded him a “symbol of betrayal” against Gaza’s population and the cause of “Palestinian resistance,” making his assassination a key objective for the group as it sought to reassert control over the territory.

Abu Shabab’s death underscores the challenges of relying on local actors—often described as “mercenaries”—as substitutes for Hamas’ governance.

Analysis accompanying the report notes that as long as Hamas remains the dominant military force, controlling roughly half of the Strip, the long-term viability of armed militias and their ability to conduct operations on Israel’s behalf remains uncertain, even if they achieve occasional tactical victories.

By Jeyhun Aghazada