Who is Ghassan al-Duhaini, Abu Shabab’s successor?

As the section closes connected Yasser Abu Shabab, 32, the “Popular Forces” militia person who appeared successful Rafah during the warfare and was wide viewed arsenic a collaborator with Israel, Ghassan al-Duhaini has been named his successor.

Soon aft Abu Shabab was killed past Thursday, reportedly during a household quality mediation, al-Duhaini, who was said to beryllium injured successful the aforesaid altercation, appeared successful a video online dressed successful subject fatigues and walking among masked fighters nether his command.

But who is Ghassan al-Duhaini? Has helium conscionable appeared, oregon was helium determination each along? Here’s what we know:

Who is Ghassan al-Duhaini?

Palestinian media sources accidental al-Duhaini, 39, has agelong been the group’s de facto leader, contempt being officially the second-in-command.

They reason that his acquisition and property made him the operational head, portion Abu Shabab, the fig publically recruited by Israel, served arsenic the look of the militia.

Al-Duhaini was calved connected October 3, 1987, successful Rafah, confederate Gaza. He belongs to the Tarabin Bedouin tribe, 1 of the largest Palestinian tribes that extends regionally and to which Abu Shabab belonged.

He was a erstwhile serviceman successful the Palestinian Authority information forces, wherever helium held the fertile of archetypal lieutenant.

Then helium aboriginal joined Jaysh al-Islam, a Gaza-based equipped faction with ideological ties to ISIL (ISIS).

Did helium truly instrumentality implicit aft Abu Shabab?

The militia announced al-Duhaini arsenic its caller commandant connected its authoritative Facebook leafage connected Friday.

Al-Duhaini pledged to proceed the group’s operations against Hamas.

In an interrogation with Israel’s Channel 12, comments aboriginal reported by The Times of Israel connected Saturday, al-Duhaini insisted helium had nary fearfulness of Hamas.

“Why would I fearfulness Hamas erstwhile I americium warring Hamas? I combat them, apprehension their people, prehend their instrumentality … successful the sanction of the radical and the free,” helium said.

On Friday, the militia published a promotional video connected an affiliated Facebook leafage showing al-Duhaini inspecting a enactment of equipped fighters.

He told Channel 12 that the footage was intended to show that the radical “remains operational” contempt the decease of its leader.

“His lack is painful, but it volition not halt the warfare connected terrorism,” helium declared.

Has helium ever been against Hamas?

Hamas lists al-Duhaini among its astir wanted figures, accusing him of collaborating with Israel, looting aid, and gathering quality connected passageway routes and subject sites.

Little accusation is disposable connected wherefore helium near the information forces.

Al-Duhaini has been progressively progressive connected societal media, precocious appearing prominently successful a video showing the militia capturing and interrogating respective Hamas members from a passageway successful Rafah.

Abu Shabab’s radical claimed the detentions were conducted “in accordance with the applicable information directive and successful coordination with the planetary coalition”.

He besides appeared successful a societal media station beside what appeared to beryllium respective bodies, the caption saying they were Hamas men who had been “eliminated” arsenic portion of the group’s “counterterrorism” operations.

Hamas has attempted to assassinate al-Duhaini twice, sidesplitting his member successful 1 cognition and narrowly missing al-Duhaini successful another, erstwhile a booby-trapped location eastbound of Rafah was detonated.

A Hamas root said al-Duhaini survived the blast “by sheer luck”, portion 4 members of the attacking portion were killed and others wounded.

What is the Popular Forces militia?

The Popular Forces militia archetypal came to prominence successful 2024 nether the enactment of Abu Shabab. It has an estimated 100 to 300 fighters who run lone metres from Israeli subject sites, moving with their weapons nether nonstop Israeli oversight.

The militia is chiefly based successful eastbound Rafah, adjacent the Karem Abu Salem crossing, the lone introduction constituent done which Israel presently permits humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

A 2nd portion is successful occidental Rafah, adjacent the notorious US-Israeli GHF assistance organisation point, wherever hundreds of Palestinians person been changeable arsenic they sought aid.

Security sources told Al Jazeera Arabic that the Israeli service oversaw the arming of Abu Shabab and that helium leads “criminal gangs specialising successful intercepting assistance convoys coming from the [Karem Abu Salem] crossing successful confederate Gaza and firing connected civilians”.

Israeli paper Maariv reported successful June that Israel’s quality agency, Shin Bet, was down the recruitment of Abu Shabab’s gang, its main Ronen Bar advising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enlist and limb the group.

The alleged “pilot project” progressive supplying the militia a constricted and monitored fig of rifles and handguns, the insubstantial said.

Shin Bet’s idea, Maariv continued, was to usage the pack to trial whether it could enforce a signifier of “alternative governance” to Hamas successful a small, contained country of Rafah.

Still, immoderate Israeli information officials, it added, bash not presumption the radical arsenic a credible replacement for Hamas.

Abu Shabab’s sanction aboriginal appeared successful an interior United Nations memo successful precocious 2024 that identified him arsenic a cardinal fig down the systematic and large-scale looting of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza.

Reports astir the group’s finances and operations suggest a signifier of systematic profiteering from Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.