US denies report that Kushner met in Israel with leader of Gaza militia opposed to Hamas

The US State Department flatly dismisses as “fake news” a report in the Saudi al-Hadath network claiming that Yasser Abu Shabab, who heads an anti-Hamas militia in Gaza, recently held a secret meeting with US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner at the US-led Gaza ceasefire monitoring hub in Kiryat Gat.

The pair discussed Abu Shabab’s militia potentially playing a role in securing the exit of Hamas fighters currently holed up on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line in Rafah, the report claimed.

No exact date for the meeting was given. Kushner arrived in Israel yesterday.

Abu Shabab’s militia was formed about six months ago and is based in eastern Rafah — in territory under IDF control — and provides patronage to several thousand Gazan residents with Israeli military and economic assistance. The militia presents itself as fighting Hamas and seeking to overthrow it.

The unconfirmed report also claimed that Abu Shabab has representatives present daily at the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat.

This report is false – never happened. https://t.co/4cslJ4s3rG

— U.S. State Dept – Near Eastern Affairs (@StateDept_NEA) November 11, 2025