Armed clan that claims to secure Gaza aid tells Rafah residents to return to area IDF ordered them to leave

The Yasser Abu Shabab clan, an armed gang operating in recent weeks in the area near Gaza’s Kerem Shalom border crossing, releases a video calling on residents to return to eastern Rafah to receive food, medicine and shelter.

The Israel Defense Forces has called on residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate amid the resumption of fighting and return of Israeli troops to the area.

The voice in the video is reportedly that of the clan leader, Yasser Abu Shabab.

Reports from Gaza in recent weeks have increasingly highlighted the activity of the group, made up of members of a single extended family led by Abu Shabab.

Armed group members have been seen wearing uniforms with the Palestinian flag and the “counter-terrorism unit” badges. According to the video, they now refer to themselves as the “Popular Forces.”

Local reports indicate the group operates in the vicinity of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which sees the passage of humanitarian aid and has an Israeli military presence.

Abu Shabab claims his forces have been protecting aid convoys, while Hamas has accused him of looting the aid trucks and maintaining connections with Israel.

Israeli officials have declined to comment on Abu Shabab’s or other militias’ activities in Gaza.

إعلان القوات الشعبية للعودة لمناطق شرق رفح حتى منطقة المشروع
بدعم وغطاء الشرعية الفلسطينية يزفها لكم القائد العام ياسر أبو شباب
للعودة التواصل على الأرقام
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أو رسالة على الصفحة بأرقام جوالاتكم https://t.co/oOKVSZkiK7

— Yasser Abu Shabab-Popular (@yasserpopular) June 3, 2025