Hamas published a propaganda video on May 30, claiming it had attacked an undercover Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. However, the video shows members of the alleged clandestine IDF unit with their weapons in plain view, which would be highly unusual for such a force, and analysts have argued that the individuals Hamas attacked were likely members of Yasser Abu Shabab’s Popular Forces (PF) militia.
Hamas’s attack and publication of the video may have served as a warning to the nascent militia despite Hamas describing the armed men in the video as Israeli troops. In addition, the event would be the first time Hamas has published evidence demonstrating that it deliberately targeted an armed Palestinian organization in Gaza during the current war.
Any such conflict underscores the growing internal challenges Hamas faces, not only from an increasingly frustrated civilian population but also from a rival armed group. The incident suggests that Hamas’ authority in Gaza is being tested on multiple fronts, revealing fractures within the broader network of Palestinian armed organizations that may no longer be fully aligned with Hamas’s leadership or strategic objectives.
The PF is a recently established militia in southern Gaza led by Yasser Abu Shabab, who has been accused of looting aid trucks in the past. Haaretz reported that Shabab is a well-connected figure and a member of a powerful clan. The PF has been accused of collaborating with Israel and the Palestinian Authority’s security services, but no evidence has emerged to prove the allegations.
Conversely, the PF has rejected claims that it is a militia or a newly formed faction, asserting instead that its members were compelled to take up arms in response to the security vacuum and lawlessness in Gaza triggered by the war. In a statement released on May 28, the group emphasized that its primary objective is to restore order, notably by safeguarding humanitarian aid deliveries. The PF pledged that each family would receive a bag of flour without facing humiliation or being subjected to political coercion, an implicit critique of Hamas’s previous control over aid distribution.
Michael Milshtein, the head of the Palestinian Studies Forum, noted that Hamas’s attack on elements of the PF should be viewed as the opening shot in a potentially bloody conflict between the rival Palestinian organizations, which Israel should avoid getting drawn into.
Hamas is currently fighting on several fronts. It has the Israeli military to contend with, an increasingly hostile civilian population, and an emerging armed group. Israeli security officials likely view this dynamic as a positive development in the war against the terrorist group.
A senior Israeli defense official told reporters on May 30 that Hamas is losing its grip over the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. The official said that the newly established Israeli-supported aid mechanism is expanding efforts to prevent Hamas from seizing humanitarian assistance.
As a potential ceasefire between Hamas, its allies, and Israel looms, it remains premature to assess whether the PF will achieve any meaningful gains against Hamas. While the group has emerged as a local force amid the war-induced power vacuum, its long-term trajectory depends on several unresolved variables. Additionally, the PF’s influence may diminish if Hamas regains the capacity to reassert control during a ceasefire or if external actors begin to intervene in the postwar power landscape.
