Militia leader calls for East Rafah residents to come under his protection

Yasser Abu Shabab, who was recently reported to be leading an armed militia challenging Hamas in southern Gaza Strip, claimed on Tuesday that he is working "under the cover of Palestinian legitimacy," referring to the Palestinian Authority.

In a statement by his group, called the Popular Forces, he called on the residents of East Rafah to return to their homes safely, assuring them that they would provide them with shelter and food after the area had been "cleansed" and was now under his group.

Yasser Abu Shabab also announced that he has created a force to protect Palestinians from the "terrorism of the de facto government [Hamas]" and from "aid thieves." He claims to protect and distribute aid to hundreds of families in the eastern areas of Rafah. A statement issued by him stated that they are present in areas under Israeli army control, "not by choice, but out of necessity, to prevent the displacement plan," and that they are distributing aid for free.

In the video he posted, members of the same militia led by Abu Shabab are seen setting up tents and distributing aid to families.

Yasser Abu Shabab, a resident of Rafah, recently appeared in Palestinian media, claiming that he is the leader of an armed militia within the sector that collaborates with Israel and the American-supported aid mechanism affiliated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has taken over responsible for distributing humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, Hamas-affiliated sources claimed that Abu Shabab's gunmen are responsible for looting aid trucks. Hamas recently published a video of its members firing at people, during what it claimed was a "meeting with undercover agents."