Israel reportedly approves Abu-Shabab militia to secure reconstruction in Rafah

The Abu-Shabab militia will secure the reconstruction in Rafah with Israel's approval, Kan News reported, citing two Israeli sources.

The anti-Hamas militia, which has been cooperating with Israel in the war in Gaza, will be responsible for securing the reconstruction in the area it controls alongside Israel.

There are several militias in Gaza that cooperate with Israel, and they are located in several enclaves in the Strip that are under Israeli control.

Israel has not yet made a decision regarding the fate of the militias on the day the IDF withdraws from the Strip.

Last summer the militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab was interviewed on Kan Radio and spoke about the organization he heads. According to him, the members of the organization are young Palestinians from the Strip who do not belong to any political or organizational ideology.

“We tasted the bitterness and injustice caused to us by Hamas and we took it upon ourselves to confront that aggression,” he said in the interview.

“We will become a support for our people to remove that injustice,” Abu Shabab emphasized, “We support any legitimate (force) that adopts the idea of removing the injustice and the corruption.”

Abu Shabab added, “We have young people and we have an army. We conduct training in the field. We have taken upon ourselves to act to free the people from injustice and violence. We have power, and there will be victims and bloodshed. We will pay the price to free our people.”

He stressed, “There is no obstacle to a direct confrontation with Hamas and there is no obstacle to a civil war, whatever the price may be.”

Abu Shabab stressed that his organization receives logistical and financial assistance from several parties – but refrained from naming them. He clarified that his organization operates in the southern Strip and especially in Rafah, and is located in an area under full IDF control.

“We move very easily in Rafah but there are other areas in the southern Strip where we move with caution. We entered Khan Younis, to Nasser Hospital, which used to belong to Hamas. We did not have security in those areas like in the areas under IDF control. We entered those areas and carried out operations beyond expectations.”

“There will be blood, but we will free the people,” said the leader of the Abu-Shabab clan.