Rafah, Gaza , 5 December (H.S.): Yasser Abu Shabab, the prominent Bedouin tribal leader commanding the Popular Forces militia in Israeli-controlled Rafah, southern Gaza, has been killed, dealing a significant setback to Israel's strategy of arming local clans against Hamas dominance.

Israeli security sources and media outlets, including Kan public broadcaster and Army Radio, reported his death on Thursday from wounds sustained in what officials described as an internal clash rather than direct Hamas action, though his group faced repeated threats from the Islamist faction labeling him a collaborator.

Abu Shabab's outfit emerged during the protracted Gaza conflict, conducting security sweeps against suspected Hamas holdouts, such as a November 18 operation to clear Rafah of terror, while denying Israeli backing despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's June admission that such support had saved Israeli soldiers' lives.

Operating from eastern Rafah amid ongoing violence—including recent Israeli strikes killing over 40 Hamas militants—his death fuels skepticism among other anti-Hamas groups about challenging the enclave's rulers, who have controlled Gaza since 2007.

Hamas accused Abu Shabab of looting aid convoys, charges his militia rejected while claiming to protect humanitarian deliveries; his passing, unconfirmed by his group's Facebook page or Israeli spokespeople, underscores the fragility of post-ceasefire dynamics in Rafah, a hotspot of gunbattles and tunnel operations.

Analysts warn this incident may embolden Hamas and complicate U.S. President Donald Trump's vision for a transitional Gaza authority, as rival clans grapple with infighting and external pressures.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar