- Militias and clan members in Gaza began surrendering to Hamas after Abu Shabab’s assassination.
- Hamas gave militias a 10-day deadline to submit.
- Abu Shabab’s deputy, Ghassan Al-Duhine, will continue leading militia operations.
Militia members and clan leaders in the Gaza Strip have begun surrendering themselves to Hamas, Palestinian sources reported to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA) on Sunday.
The move comes after the assassination of Yasser Abu Shabab, following a 10-day deadline issued by Hamas for armed militias to submit.
Hamas has long expressed concern over militias operating independently in Gaza. A statement attributed to Hamas emphasized, “The tribes are extremely concerned about the militias funded by Tel Aviv, and they will disappear no matter how hard Israel tries.”
The militias, reportedly tasked with locating tunnels and tracking Hamas fighters, aimed to perform operations that ‘Israel’ has struggled with for two years.
In Khan Younis, Husam Al-Astal, commander of one of the militias working closely with Abu Shabab, told the IBA that Abu Shabab’s death would not halt their operations. He added that Abu Shabab’s deputy, Ghassan Al-Duhine, has taken over leadership and remains active in military affairs.
Al-Astal warned, “Hamas is trying to send operatives to infiltrate us, but we will uncover them soon.”
Leave a Reply