Who are the ‘ISIS-linked, aid-stealing’ Gaza militia supported by Israel?

A murky new force has emerged in the southern Gaza Strip: a militia reportedly composed of local Bedouin fighters with alleged criminal ties and supposed ideological links to the Islamic State group.

Israeli opposition politicians, Palestinians, Arabic media, and think tanks have all pointed to Israeli backing for the militia, raising serious questions about Tel Aviv's strategy in the war-torn enclave, with Prime Minister Benjamin admitting collusion with a Gaza tribal group.

The New Arab looks into who these new pro-Israel forces in Gaza are.

A ‘proxy militia’ to counter Hamas?

According to Haaretz, the Israeli government has been supplying weapons to a militia in Gaza affiliated with Yasser Abu Shabab, a figure linked to the powerful Bedouin Hamashah clan in Rafah.

The force reportedly operates under the names 'The Popular Forces' and 'The Anti-Terrorism Unit', and has been accused by Palestinians of looting aid trucks, collaborating with the Israeli army, and spreading lawlessness under the guise of fighting Hamas.

Former defence minister and current Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman was the first to publicly leak Israel's direct involvement in backing the group.

In comments quoted by Haaretz, Lieberman accused the Netanyahu government of arming "a group of criminals and felons". He claimed that the Israeli security establishment had transferred light weapons and assault rifles to the group, warning, "ultimately, these weapons will be turned against us".

Who is Yasser Abu Shabab?

Yasser Abu Shabab is reportedly a well-connected figure in Rafah with allegations of links to criminal activity. Haaretz reported that he had previously served time in Gazan prisons for various offences, including theft.

During a November 2024 interview with The Washington Post, he did not deny that his group had looted aid but claimed they avoided taking supplies meant for children.

The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) described Abu Shabab as the head of a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks". His brother was reportedly killed by Hamas during crackdowns on attacks against UN aid convoys, and the group itself has been expelled from some tribal alliances due to accusations of collaboration with Israel and for thefts of humanitarian aid.

Ties to the Islamic State group and criminals

Arabic sources have also drawn attention to the group's ideological leanings. According to The New Arab's Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the militia evolved from a loosely organised criminal gang into a Salafi-jihadist group inspired by the Islamic State group.

The report claims Abu Shabab and his men were involved in drug and arms trafficking, often crossing the border between Gaza and Egypt’s Sinai region, where IS-affiliated groups have operated for years.

Haaretz also reported that Lieberman directly linked the group to IS, saying: "The Hamasha clan are in essence lawless criminals who in recent years wanted to give themselves an ideological angle or spin, so they became Salafi [jihadists] and began identifying with ISIS."

Though the group now brands itself as an "anti-terror" force, locals see little distinction between their behaviour and that of organised crime syndicates. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported that the group rebranded from the Anti-Terrorism Unit to The Popular Forces in May 2025 - possibly to obscure its affiliations.

Israel’s response, 'What’s bad about that?'

The Israeli government has not denied the allegations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the strategy, telling the public broadcaster Kan: "What did Liberman leak? That security sources activated a clan in Gaza that opposes Hamas? What is bad about that? It is only good - it is saving the lives of Israeli soldiers."

Security analyst Michael Milshtein, from the Moshe Dayan Centre in Tel Aviv, described the decision to support Abu Shabab’s group as "a fantasy, not something that you can really describe as a strategy". Speaking to AFP, Milshtein noted that the group had been denounced by its own tribal leaders as "collaborators and gangsters", and said the Israeli army was offering them "weapons, money and shelter" in exchange for destabilising Hamas-controlled areas.

Hamas has fiercely condemned the group, accusing it of betrayal and complicity in creating artificial humanitarian crises. In an official statement, the group said it had "clear evidence of coordination between these looting gangs, collaborators with the occupation, and the enemy army itself".

‘We are not a tool of the occupation’

In response to the accusations, The Popular Forces issued a statement denying any Israeli ties. "We have never been, and will never be, a tool of the occupation," it said. "Our weapons are simple, outdated, and came through the support of our own people."

Despite the denial, videos circulating on social media that appear to show well-equipped fighters wearing military gear, including helmets and vests emblazoned with the Palestinian flag and the label "Anti-Terror Service" in both Arabic and English, with speculation that the equipment was provided by Israel.