Yasser Abu Shabab, who leads the allegedly IS-linked al-Quwwat ash-Shabiyya (Popular Forces, commonly referred to as Abu Shabab), was killed, according to The Times of Israel, in “internal fighting” in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the newspaper, Abu Shabab has collaborated with Israel – which is said to have supplied the movement with weapons – to remove Hamas from power.
According to Haaretz sources, the clan leader died in an Israeli hospital after being injured in clashes in Gaza.
In the vacuum created by Hamas's weakening, several armed groups and clans have gained a foothold in the Gaza Strip. Abu Shabab has been described as one of the most influential.
