The writer and political analyst Wissam Afif believes that the elimination of Yasser Abu Shabab, the commander of the armed militia in eastern Rafah in the Gaza Strip, represents a severe blow to extensive efforts undertaken by the Israeli security services, particularly the Shin Bet, which had worked to form and sponsor these groups.
The director of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Palestine, Walid Al Omari, stated that there are two narratives circulating in Israeli media. One claims that the militia leader was killed in an internal clash in Rafah, while the other, attributed to Israeli security sources, asserts that a Hamas fighter ambushed and killed him along with his deputy Ghassan Al Dahini and others.
Channel 14 had reported the killing of Abu Shabab, whose name surfaced prominently during the Israeli war on Gaza. His militia had cooperated with the occupation army and imposed control over certain areas of the Strip.
Afif noted that the announcements so far are coming exclusively from Hebrew media, while the hypotheses regarding the party responsible for the operation remain open.
The primary hypothesis is that the Palestinian resistance is behind this assassination, considering that such collaborator groups are prime targets for the resistance, whether in the north or the south of the Strip.
He pointed out that the resistance has not yet claimed responsibility for the operation, despite the fact that its interests and priorities would suggest it is the likely actor. The absence of such an announcement raises questions about the circumstances of the operation and how it was carried out.
In a related context, the analyst raised essential questions about the resistance’s ability to reach an area considered completely secure. Abu Shabab and his group were positioned within what is known as the yellow line, under direct Israeli control, enjoying wide protection and an advanced intelligence system that includes drones monitoring the area around the clock.
Afif disclosed a second hypothesis: that Abu Shabab may have been killed during field operations assigned to his group.
He explained that recent days have seen reports of these militias pursuing resistance fighters in Rafah, with Israeli forces pushing them forward as the first line in populated areas to gather information, viewing them as expendable assets.
A third hypothesis
Afif did not rule out a third hypothesis involving internal purges within these groups, as part of an attempt to reshape them and redefine their leadership.
He indicated that this hypothesis remains plausible unless the resistance explicitly claims responsibility for the operation.
At the popular level, the analyst affirmed that these groups are entirely rejected by the Palestinian community in Gaza and possess no genuine base or independent strength.
He added that families and the wider public describe them as collaborators with the occupation, reflecting a near-consensus of rejection.
Afif raised questions regarding the identity of the other individuals killed, asking whether Ghassan Al Dahini, described as the second-in-command and the coordinator with the occupation, was also killed or whether he remains involved.
He concluded that answers regarding the identity of the perpetrators, the method, and the geographical context of the operation remain pending until more information becomes available.
It is worth noting that Abu Shabab was located in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip and had been cooperating with the Israeli occupation army, which had placed significant hopes on him in creating a model in Rafah to administer the Gaza Strip independent of parties aligned with Hamas. This was met with strong public rejection, but the occupation forces had been offering him cover and protection.
Yasser Abu Shabab was a Palestinian born in Rafah in 1990. He belonged to the Tarabin tribe and had been imprisoned before 7 October 2023 on criminal charges. He was released after Israel bombed the headquarters of the security services.
His name gained prominence after Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, targeted a unit of undercover Israeli agents east of Rafah on 30 May 2025. It was revealed that the unit included a group of collaborators recruited by the occupation, directly affiliated with what the resistance described as the Yasser Abu Shabab gang.
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