In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to arming and supporting the Popular Forces militia in Gaza to oppose Hamas.“What’s wrong with this?” he said in a short video he tweeted. “It only saves the lives of Israeli soldiers.”He did not clarify what the Popular Forces would do exactly, but experts believe Israel is backing the militia and its leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, to put a Palestinian face on the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.The 31-year-old Abu Shabab, a previously unknown member of Gaza’s Tarabin Bedouin tribe, escaped prison around October 7, having been imprisoned since 2015 for drug-related charges.Drugs are reportedly smuggled into Gaza through Egypt’s Sinai and, according to analysts, are run by ISIL-affiliated groups. This has led to a widespread belief that Abu Shabab has ISIL (ISIS) links.But Abu Shabab’s alleged affiliation with ISIL has not been an issue for Israel; analysts say it is using him to advance its ethnic cleansing plans in Gaza.Abu Shabab emergesAbu Shabab, who leads the 100-man-strong Popular Forces militia, is an elementary school dropout, according to Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations.Despite this, he has a sophisticated and multilingual social media presence, and he recently pe …
