Gazan Militia Leader Abu Shabab Envisions Gaza Open to Israel, Egypt

Yasser Abu Shabab, the head of a militia operating in Gaza under Israeli military control, denied allegations that his group is being supported by Israel, but expressed his desire to live in peace with it. Speaking to the UK’s Sunday Times, Abu Shabab insisted, “I am just an ordinary Palestinian person who cares about his own people.”

Hamas has labeled Abu Shabab a criminal and a traitor, accusing him of looting and collaborating with Israel. The terror group recently demanded that he surrender for prosecution.

“Hamas either accuses their [opponents] of being traitors working with Israel or being criminals. I am neither of these,” said Abu Shabab. “I was an ordinary construction worker before the war. I have no military training. I am just an ordinary Palestinian person who cares about his own people.”

Abu Shabab warned that if a ceasefire is reached, he and his fighters would need international protection, claiming that Hamas would likely use any pause in fighting to retaliate against dissenters.

He alleged that Hamas has already killed 52 of his relatives, including his own brother.

Rejecting any connection to Israeli funding or arms, Abu Shabab emphasized that his group’s resources came from within: “I’m from the Tarabin family. We are a big tribe that extends not only to Gaza but also to Egypt, to Jordan, and even into some Gulf countries. Notable members of our family contributed money, and we used this money to buy products from the markets in Gaza and give it to needy people from our community,” he said.

“When I saw our people were suffering from the fact Hamas was stealing aid and was bringing this war with Israel upon the Gazans, leaving our people struggling and displaced, the idea sparked to create a safe zone for our people where we don’t fight,” he added. “So my tribe and my family started to distribute aid to people who were in need.”

According to the Sunday Times, the wealthiest figure among the Tarabin clan is Ibrahim al-Arjani, an Egyptian businessman in Sinai who profited by charging Palestinians to cross through Rafah during the war.

Asked whether his militia could take over administration of the Rafah crossing after the war, Abu Shabab answered, “of course.”

“But first we need to defeat terrorism,” he continued. His vision for Gaza after the conflict is “one open to the world, to Egypt, Arab countries and Israel.”

“Many of my family members live in Israel in a good situation without any discrimination,” he noted.