Yasser Abu Shabab
Yasser Abu Shabab | |
|---|---|
| ياسر ابو شباب | |
| Born | 19 December 1993 (age 31) |
| Organization | Popular Forces |
| Known for | Armed group leadership during the Rafah offensive |
| Criminal charges | Drug trafficking and theft |
| Criminal penalty | Imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Released in October 2023 |
Yasser Abu Shabab (born 19 December 1993) is a Palestinian miltant leader and drug trafficker who leads the Popular Forces, an Israeli-backed anti-Hamas armed group in the Gaza Strip. He belongs to the Bedouin tribe of Tarabin in Rafah.
Abu Shabab has emerged as a local opposition figure to Hamas during the ongoing Gaza war. In May 2024, his group began looting aid trucks, claiming he was providing security for humanitarian aid convoys entering Gaza during the Rafah offensive. Abu Shabab was reportedly the mastermind behind the Kerem Shalom aid convoy looting. Israel began providing Abu Shabab's group with weapons and equipment in 2025. As of June 2025, he has reportedly seized control over eastern Rafah.