Latest news with #IDF-controlled
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First Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Hamas killed 5 workers, potentially 'abducted' some others, says Gaza aid group
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the attack happened when the bus was carrying the staffers to one of its aid distribution sites near the southern Gaza Strip's Khan Younis read more Local Palestinian staffers of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in blue vests form a human chain to protect female aid recipients at one of GHF's distribution sites on June 9, 2025. (Source: GNF) A Gaza aid group said in a statement on Wednesday (June 11) that Hamas operatives staged an attack on a bus carrying its Gazan staffers, killing some of them and potentially abducting others. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said five of its members were killed in the attack. The statement added that the attack happened when the bus was carrying the staffers to one of GHF's aid distribution sites near the southern Gaza Strip's Khan Younis at around 10 pm local time. The group said it was still gathering information from ground zero. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It also vowed not to stop future efforts to provide aid to Palestinians in Gaza. 'This attack did not happen in a vacuum. For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us. These threats were met with silence,' the GHF statement read. Tussle over Gaza aid channels Hamas has advocated for resuming aid distribution via UN-supported channels, which Israel and the US claim enabled the group to siphon off significant portions of aid. The UN has refuted these allegations, asserting that the GHF model jeopardises Palestinians by requiring them to travel long distances through IDF-controlled areas to collect food supplies. Since the GHF began operations on May 26, 2025, the Red Cross and Hamas-affiliated health officials have reported frequent mass-casualty incidents involving Palestinians en route to aid distribution sites. The IDF has admitted to firing 'warning shots' on at least eight occasions, targeting individuals who deviated from designated routes, contributing to the casualties. Meanwhile, the GHF reported on Wednesday that it has distributed approximately 271,200 boxes of aid, primarily containing dry food products requiring preparation elsewhere. Since Israel partially lifted its blockade on May 19, 2025, an average of 65 aid trucks have entered Gaza daily. However, the World Food Programme indicates that about 300 trucks per day are necessary to adequately meet the needs of Gaza's population, which IDF officials admitted was nearing starvation before aid resumed following a 78-day blockade. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From Gaza prisoner to ‘the Israeli agent': how rise of Abu Shabab could ignite new phase of war
On 7 October 2023, Yasser abu Shabab was languishing in a Hamas-run jail in Gaza on charges of drug trafficking. With the outbreak of the conflict, the Palestinian from Rafah managed to leave prison, though the circumstances of his release remain unclear to this day. For a while, Abu Shabab vanished from sight. That changed last week when Israeli defence officials acknowledged they had begun arming a clan that calls itself the Anti-Terror Service. It consists of about 100 armed men who operate in eastern Rafah under the command of Abu Shabab, whose nickname is 'the Israeli agent' and who is described as a 'traitor' on social media in the territory. The officials said the Israel Defense Forces' goal was 'reducing Israeli military casualties' while systematically undermining Hamas. But critics have warned that the Israeli-backed criminal gang could push Gaza to the brink of civil war. Abu Shabab, 32, has emerged as a powerful figure, exerting control over aid routes near the strategically vital Kerem Shalom crossing, while members of his group are accused of looting trucks carrying food, and of having ties to jihadist groups. Last month Jonathan Whittall, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in occupied Palestinian territories, said: 'Theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza.' When contacted by the Guardian, Whittall said he was 'referring to gangs such as Abu Shabab'. In a written interview with the Guardian, Abu Shabab blamed Hamas for the war in Gaza, defended himself from the accusations of looting and insisted his clan was providing security to aid trucks passing from the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. 'My activities are humanitarian and it's for my people only,' Abu Shabab said. 'We are providing security in areas controlled by our national forces and providing support to hundreds of families, with hundreds of people flocking to our areas every day.' Several videos circulating on social media in Gaza from his Facebook profile, verified by the Guardian with his associates, show members of Abu Shabab's group operating alongside Israeli soldiers in IDF-controlled areas in southern Gaza. Asked if his group was acting in coordination with Israeli forces, Abu Shabab said: 'We do not work directly with the Israeli army.' The Times of Israel cited defence sources who said Israel had provided members of Abu Shabab's faction with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including some weapons seized from Hamas. Since Israel eased its blockade on aid to Gaza, dozens of lorries carrying food have been entering the territory each day, crossing through Kerem Shalom and moving towards Rafah, where Abu Shabab has set up a series of checkpoints. A diplomatic official told CNN that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new US-backed organisation tasked by Israel with distributing supplies in the territory, had contact with Abu Shabab, 'whether directly or indirectly'. Asked if he had a collaboration with the GHF, which is distributing food at three sites in Rafah, Abu Shabab declined to comment. Reached by the Guardian, a spokesperson for GHF said: 'We provide our own security and do not have any local security. Our trucks have never been protected by Abu Shabab or anyone else.' Without providing any evidence supporting his claims, Abu Shabab – whose responses appeared contradictory and were often undermined by his previous statements or by verifiable evidence – blamed Hamas for looting trucks carrying food into Gaza. 'We do not take anything from the aid trucks,' said Abu Shabab, who did not respond to calls or texts but corresponded through an email address provided to international news outlets and confirmed by his associates. 'Aid is stolen in areas controlled by Hamas.' However, in an interview in November 2024 with the New York Times, Abu Shabab admitted that his men had raided half a dozen aid trucks since the start of the war. 'We are taking trucks so we can eat, not so we can sell,' he told the paper, saying he was feeding his family. Coverage of the war in Gaza is constrained by Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists and a bar on international reporters entering the Gaza Strip to report independently on the war. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since 7 October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort. Reporters who join these trips have no control over where they go, and other restrictions include a bar on speaking to Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinian journalists and media workers inside Gaza have paid a heavy price for their work reporting on the war, with over 180 killed since the conflict began. The committee to protect journalists has determined that at least 19 of them 'were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders'. Foreign reporters based in Israel filed a legal petition seeking access to Gaza, but it was rejected by the supreme court on security grounds. Private lobbying by diplomats and public appeals by prominent journalists and media outlets have been ignored by the Israeli government. To ensure accurate reporting from Gaza given these restrictions, the Guardian works with trusted journalists on the ground; our visual teams verify photo and videos from third parties; and we use clearly sourced data from organisations that have a track record of providing accurate information in Gaza during past conflicts, or during other conflicts or humanitarian crises. Emma Graham-Harrison, chief Middle East correspondent Since Abu Shabab's name began appearing in the media, Hamas has publicly declared it is intent on killing him. Abu Shabab has reasons to loathe Hamas. The militant group killed his brother last year and has already tried to kill Abu Shabab at least twice. 'The war will not end as long as Hamas insists on its position,' Abu Shabab said. On Wednesday the Israeli news channel i24 reported that Israeli soldiers clashed with Hamas members in order to protect Abu Shabab from being killed, which resulted in deaths on both sides. Although the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, did not name Abu Shabab, he has admitted to having 'activated' clans in Gaza that he says oppose Hamas. Netanyahu's comments sparked a row in Israel, with opposition leaders accusing the government of transferring weapons to a group of thugs and criminals 'who identify with [Islamic State]'. Abu Shabab's links with Israeli forces were confirmed by his family, which issued a statement last week formally disowning him. 'We will not accept Yasser's return to the family. We have no objection to those around him liquidating him immediately,' they said. The rise of Abu Shabab as the first openly acknowledged Palestinian collaborator with Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza war could, according to many analysts, ignite a dangerous new phase of the conflict. In addition to clashes with Hamas, his clan may soon face violent confrontations with rival gangs and members of Gaza's popular committees, Israeli media report. They say it is the kind of environment where civil wars often take root – and where civilians, once again, are likely to bear the heaviest cost.
NDTV
05-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Explained: What Is Abu Shabab Group Which Opposes Hamas In Gaza
New Delhi: In war-torn Gaza, where hunger, mistrust, and militia rule collide, one man has risen to claim control over a patch of territory, offering what he calls "safety and order". That man is Yasser Abu Shabab, a clan leader from Rafah who now leads a controversial militia allegedly under Israeli protection and in direct defiance of Hamas. Once a known figure in Gaza's criminal underworld, with alleged links to drug trafficking and extremist groups like Daesh, Abu Shabab has now rebranded himself as the commander of the ' Popular Forces ', a self-declared unit he says is protecting civilians and humanitarian aid from chaos and Hamas's grip. Clan To A Force Abu Shabab's transformation from clansman to armed leader has been swift and public. This week, he released a video message claiming his group, formally called al-Quwat el-Shabeyaa (Popular Forces), has taken control of eastern Rafah. He urged displaced civilians to return, promising food, shelter, and protection in makeshift camps erected under the watch of the Israeli military. His fighters, mostly relatives, are seen wearing uniforms bearing Palestinian flags and "counter-terrorism unit" patches. They are seen setting up tents, unloading flour from trucks, and distributing supplies, all within IDF-controlled zones. Abu Shabab insists his presence in Israeli-controlled zones is "not by choice, but out of necessity, to prevent the displacement plan." His militia's mission is to defend civilians against what he calls the "terrorism of the de facto government [Hamas]" and the rampant looting of aid. "We operate under Palestinian legitimacy," he said, suggesting ties with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah, although the PA has remained silent on any affiliation. Claims Then Counterclaims With Gaza's humanitarian system in collapse, and Israeli aid blockades entering their 12th week, any semblance of structure attracts attention. Abu Shabab's supporters argue that his forces are simply stepping in where no one else will. Hamas recently executed four people for looting aid, according to a Reuters report, and his group claims it is preventing such thefts. But Hamas officials accuse him of the same, saying his men have intercepted aid near Kerem Shalom and Salah al-Din Street. A Hamas official dismissed Abu Shabab as "a tool used by the Israeli occupation to fragment the Palestinian internal front," while others call him an outright collaborator. Reports by Quds News and outlets like Haaretz and The Washington Post suggest that Abu Shabab's group operates under full Israeli military protection. Witnesses say they have seen his fighters looting convoys and demanding "protection money" from drivers, all while Israeli tanks watch without interference. In one reported incident, his men opened fire on an aid convoy 100 metres from an Israeli tank, with no response from the soldiers. Israeli airstrikes later killed six Palestinian officers who tried to prevent the looting. "The armed men beat the drivers and take all the food if they aren't paid [protection money]," a senior official in Gaza told Haaretz. Collaborator Or Protector? Abu Shabab's rise has created deep divisions within Palestinian society. To some, he represents a new form of localised order, a necessary force in an ungoverned space. Abu Shabab's Facebook page portrays him as a "grassroots leader who stood up against corruption and looting," and his supporters argue he is doing what Hamas failed to: protect the people and ensure aid gets where it is needed. This turns Yasser Abu Shabab from a local strongman into a potential contender for power in southern Gaza, directly challenging Hamas's long-standing grip. For Israel, he could be the kind of local leader they have been hoping for: someone who can take control of an area, at least for now, while the war continues and Hamas is pushed back. To others, he is a traitor, the face of a dangerous new model: a Palestinian leader backed not by popular will but by foreign military power. They see Abu Shabab and his men as collaborators working with the Israeli army, not as protectors of their people. Because of this, most Palestinians do not trust him or accept him as a real alternative to Hamas, regardless of the latter's authoritarianism or failures. But without legitimacy from Gaza's population, his hold on power remains shaky at best. The 'Awakening Councils' Parallel Some observers draw comparisons between Abu Shabab's Popular Forces and the 'Awakening Councils' in Iraq - tribal militias funded by the US to defeat al-Qaeda in the mid-2000s. Those groups were effective in the short term but eventually disbanded or turned hostile once foreign troops withdrew. Others liken his rise to the South Lebanon Army, a Christian-led militia that collapsed after Israel pulled out of Lebanon in 2000, leaving its fighters to face backlash and exile.
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Israel ‘cares much more' about Palestinian civilians than Hamas
Channel 13 News political correspondent Lior Kenan says the state of Israel 'cares much more' about the civilian population of Gaza than Hamas does. A joint statement issued by 23 foreign ministers around the world, including Penny Wong, has slammed Israel's plan to take control of Gaza and administer aid via IDF-controlled zones. 'We see Hamas using them as human shields, we see them launch missiles from hospitals and schools, we see them take over the humanitarian aid,' Ms Kenan told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Israel ‘worried' about mounting international pressure over Gaza offensive
Channel 13 News political correspondent Lior Kenan says Israel is 'worried' about the international pressure mounting over the past few days regarding its military offensive in Gaza. A joint statement issued by 23 foreign ministers around the world, including Penny Wong, has slammed Israel's plan to take control of Gaza and administer aid via IDF-controlled zones. 'There is also the pressure from the United States and the Trump administration, which Israel greatly needs and wants its support in order to continue,' Ms Kenan told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'Israel is at a crossroads now.'
