'No stopping a civil war against Hamas,' Gaza militia chief Abu Shabab tells KAN
Yasser Abu Shabab, leader of the allegedly Israel-backed, anti-Hamas Popular Forces group, revealed to Israeli public broadcaster KAN on Sunday that his militia is actively working against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, particularly operating in the Rafah area.
"There is no stopping a civil war against Hamas," Abu Shabab said in the interview.
He told KAN that those who comprise his militia do not belong to any political or organizational ideology. However, Abu Shabab told Army Radio in an interview last month that he denied working with Israel and confirmed his group's relationship with the Palestinian Authority. In that interview, he said that he wouldn't rule out cooperating with the IDF on issues such as humanitarian aid distribution in the future.
In Sunday's KAN interview, he said, "We have tasted the bitterness and injustice inflicted on us by Hamas and we have taken it upon ourselves to confront this aggression," KAN quoted him as saying. "We support any legitimate force that will adopt the idea of removing injustice and corruption."
The militia leader has also emphasized that the Popular Forces receive logistical and financial assistance from several sources but refrained from naming specific sources.
Abu Shabab claimed that after Hamas leaves power, the Popular Forces will rule the enclave afterwards. "Hamas knows and understands this; the Popular Forces will be the heirs in Gaza after they are crushed and defeated," KAN quoted him.
He noted that there is no dispute between his group and the Palestinian Authority (PA). "There is administrative coordination regarding certain goals, but not military; the PA has nothing to do with arming the Popular Forces organization or providing assistance; any coordination is only administrative."
Abu Shabab's interview with KAN came a few days after Hamas announced that its Interior Ministry issued a 10-day ultimatum for him to surrender or face trial.
The ultimatum states that Abu Shabab is accused of 'treason, collaborating with hostile entities, forming an armed gang, and insurrection.'
When asked by KAN about the ultimatum, he said, "They [Hamas] committed the crime of October 7. They are the cause of the trouble of the Palestinian people, the persecution of civilians, and the killing of innocents. They should put themselves on trial, not other people."
Liran Aharoni contributed to this report.
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