Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed many top leaders of Hamas and greatly weakened the terrorist organization, prompting other gangs and militias to step into the power vacuum.
Some of those gangs have grown strong enough to fight Hamas, which once ruled its Gaza territory with an iron fist.
The National on Tuesday profiled some of the rising stars in Palestinian tyranny, including the Al Astal gang, headed by a canny warlord called Yasser Abu Shabab. Several other clans belong to Shabab’s militia, which calls itself the Popular Army.
Some of these gangs reportedly hit on the idea of using the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to dispose of their Hamas rivals by kidnapping Hamas members and dumping them off into Israeli custody, which has further weakened the once-absolute rulers of Gaza.
The IDF has rewarded this cooperation with support for the gangs, including providing them with food and weapons seized from Hamas. Israeli officials confirmed the reports in June. Some Israelis have criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for giving weapons to criminals with their own links to terrorism. Netanyahu made the case that “it saves lives of IDF soldiers,” but condemned the revelation of the agreement “only does good for Hamas.”
The leaders of the larger gangs have gone one step further, presenting themselves as a more cooperative alternative to the Palestinian Authority for control of postwar Gaza.
On the other hand, some Palestinians are furious at militia leaders like Shabab for working with the Israelis. Shabab hails from a large Bedouin tribe called the Tababin, which publicly disavowed him last year for working with the IDF.
“I joined the Popular Army under Yasser Abu Shabab four months ago. I hate Hamas. For years, they cared only about taxes and money, not the people. We starved during the war — no food, no water, no shelter,” an unnamed member of Shabab’s militia told The National.
This payback sentiment seems common among rival militias, who were nearly hunted to extinction by Hamas after it violently expelled the Palestinian Authority (PA) from Gaza in 2007 to establish its own little kingdom of murder and corruption. Just as the resurgent militias are handing Hamas leaders over to the Israelis, Hamas justified its crackdown on rival gangs by claiming it wanted to eliminate criminals and security risks.
“What Hamas achieved in eliminating militias, neither the Palestinian Authority nor any other force could do. Their capacity to impose power by force was unmatched,” observed Gaza-based writer Hamza al-Shoubaki.
Last week, Hamas tried to crack down on a gang known as the Al-Mujaida Clan, only to lose the battle rather badly. The clan celebrated its victory by dragging the bodies of 11 Hamas fighters through the streets of southern Gaza. It was the first documented defeat of Hamas by Palestinian militias since the Gaza war began.
Few of these gangs are Robin Hood-style thieves with hearts of gold and the Palestinian people might be little better off with them in charge instead of Hamas. The upstart gangs violently defend their turf and steal from civilians. Some of them steal humanitarian aid with as much gusto as Hamas does.
The BBC speculated on Friday that one reason Hamas is reluctant to sign President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza is that it fears Hamas members will be hunted down and killed by gangs if they surrender their weapons, as Trump’s plan demands. Militia leaders claim they are recruiting hundreds of fighters per week as Hamas fades, and thousands of civilians are seeking their protection.
“More than 80% of residents do not want Hamas. I call on everyone — anyone who believes in peace — to come to us. This is no secret,” militia leader Hossam al-Astal of the “Strike Force Against Terror” told the Times of Israel in September.
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