As Israel's war with Iran is on hold, its main front has shifted back to Gaza, where it has started to work closely with the Abu Shabab gang.
Analysts and Israeli media claim the group comprises murderers, drug dealers and former ISIS members. Gaza residents and human rights groups have accused the Yasser Abu Shabab Popular Forces of crimes from looting of aid to firing at, kidnapping and beating Palestinians who seek it.
More than 500 Palestinians have been killed at aid distribution points by the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since its inception on May 27, including 93 by Israeli gunfire as they approached UN aid lorries, Thameen Al Kheetan, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement this week.
Former Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel was arming a group of "criminals and felons" in Gaza.
Mohammad Shehada, Gaza analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the Abu Shabab group is doing Israel's "dirty work". In exchange for keeping its members out of prison providing them with weapons, Israel wants the group to carry out reconnaissance and intelligence work, Mr Shehada said.
"Before, they’d first send drones, then they’d send the sniffer dogs, then they’d send soldiers," he said. "Now they've changed the hierarchy by sending those gangs, and then the drones and then the dogs, and then the soldiers."
Dozens of people seeking aid at GHF sites have gone missing, failing to return home, their families have reported to rights groups and authorities in Gaza.
Prominent Palestinian investigative journalist Younis Tirawi has documented at least one instance of the Abu Shabab gang luring a civilian with the promise of aid before kidnapping and interrogating them.
Anti-Hamas
Following Mr Lieberman's claim, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move to support armed groups such as Abu Shabab aimed to "save the lives" of Israeli soldiers and oppose Hamas.
The Abu Shabab gang is being presented as an alternative to Hamas, but Palestinian and Israeli experts say that is simply not possible.
Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University's Moche Dayan Centre, said the gang could not match Hamas, whose influence is entrenched across Gaza.
"They cannot be an alternative to Hamas all over the Strip because their influence is very limited to the eastern part of Rafah – they don’t have an impact in Gaza city and Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, etc," Mr Milshtein told The National.
Similarly, Mr Shehada highlighted the disparity in the number of members in Hamas and Abu Shabab that disproves any claim that it could stand up to Hamas.
"Israel is trying to whitewash running those proxies by saying that they are creating them as rivals to Hamas, but that’s not what’s happening," he said. "They’re no match and cannot overpower Hamas’s 30,000 or 40,000 members."
Abu Shabab maintains it protecting aid rather than looting it, although an article in The New York Times cited the group's leader, Yasser Abu Shabab admitting to stealing aid.
"Yasser Abu Shabab cannot frame himself as the 'Robin Hood' of Gaza," Mr Milshtein said. The gang has a "problematic reputation" in Palestinian circles, which calls it "Jeish Lahd" – a reference to the Christian militia backed by Israel in southern Lebanon in the 1970s.
In fact, the Israeli support, as well as the group's own damaging actions, could lend credibility to Hamas rather than weaken it, Mr Shehada argued. "It lends credence to Hamas as defenders of Gaza ... and as the only thing standing between them and total societal collapse."
Mr Shehada has been analysing the group's members. "Virtually every name I’ve come across is either someone on the run from authorities for murder, collaborating with Israel, a drug dealer, or a member of ISIS."
At least two Abu Shabab members are known to have been affiliated with ISIS, Israeli media has reported.
One is Issam Nabahin, who Israeli news outlet Ynet claims launched attacks on the Egyptian army in Sinai as an ISIS member.
He was jailed by Hamas in Gaza but was released with other detainees after the war started on October 7, 2023, over fears that Israel would bomb prisons.
Laying siege
The deputy leader of the Yasser Abu Shabab Popular Forces is Ghassan Al Dheini, the brother of alleged ISIS member Walid Al Dheini – who was killed by Hamas – and who was reportedly involved in the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, Ynet reported.
Israel's relationship with the gang began after Israel took over the southern area of Rafah in May 2024, occupying and laying siege to it, Mr Milshtein said.
In internal memos, Mr Shehada said, the UN had identified Abu Shabab as stealing aid under Israeli military protection.
More publicly, Jonathan Whittall, who heads the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine, once again rejected claims by Israel that Hamas was diverting aid.
"This doesn't hold up to scrutiny," he stressed last month. Instead, Mr Whittall explained the theft is being carried out by "criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces", who were allowed to operate in proximity to the Karam Abu Salem border crossing, which leads into Rafah.
Mr Shehada said Israel had allowed armed groups to loot aid, even while stationed in near its soldiers.
“This allows Israel to externalise blame and say that they’re letting food in, that it is Hamas looting the aid and that the UN is not doing a good enough job to protect its own aid convoys.”
This atmosphere of insecurity has provided a pretext for the founding of the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), despite worldwide protest and condemnation of the move that sidelines the UN altogether. Besides the hundreds killed, thousands have been while seeking aid at the distribution points operated by the GHF and protected by private contractors and the Israeli army.
Another Israeli outlet, i24, interviewed Mr Al Dheini after claiming the Israeli army had intervened in protecting Abu Shabab against Hamas in an incident on Monday. He said the group will continue to target Hamas as the “only way to ensure the safety and security of people in the strip”. The gang aims to establish a “government" in Gaza’s south where it currently operates.
"Israel has been trying since October 7 to create proxies in Gaza to carry out Israel’s dirty tactics while giving Netanyahu plausible deniability for atrocities," Mr Shehada said.
But they could find very few collaborators. After failing with tribal and community leaders, businesspeople and company owners, they resorted to people on the run from authorities for crimes that could send them to jail when the war ends.
"So Netanyahu found a perfect match for himself. He and those gang leaders understand, if the war is over, they’ll end up in prison for drug dealing, ISIS membership, murders, theft, etc."
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%0D%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EAlexandra%20Eala%20(Philippines)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
More from Neighbourhood Watch
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
