Emerging Armed Groups in Gaza Eye Role in Post-Hamas Future

Fri Nov 21 2025 19:24:12 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As Gaza navigates the aftermath of conflict, local militias are positioning themselves to play a significant role in the territory's future stability, exhibiting complex ties to regional powers and external forces.

In the shifting landscape of post-conflict Gaza, various armed groups emerge in opposition to Hamas, each with its own agenda and relations with external actors. These militias, including Yasser Abu Shabab's Popular Forces and Hossam al-Astal's Counter-Terrorism Strike Force, seek roles in the future governance of Gaza but face skepticism from local residents and Palestinian agencies. Israel’s backing of these groups raises questions about their legitimacy and intentions as they navigate a fractured political environment.

Urgent questions are being raised over a patchwork of armed groups that have emerged to fight Hamas in Gaza over recent months.

They include groups based around family clans, criminal gangs, and new militia – some of which are backed by Israel, as its prime minister recently admitted.

Elements within the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank and is a political rival to Hamas, are also believed to be covertly sending support.

However, these militias, each operating in its own local area inside the 53% of Gaza's territory currently controlled by Israeli forces, have not been officially included in the US President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for an International Stabilisation Force and a newly-trained Palestinian police force to secure Gaza in the next stage of the deal.

One of the largest militia is headed by Yasser Abu Shabab, whose Popular Forces operate near the southern city of Rafah.

In one recent social media video, his deputy talks about working in co-ordination with the Board of Peace - the international body to be tasked with running Gaza under the plan.

Hossam al-Astal, who leads a militia called the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force near the southern city of Khan Younis, told Israeli media this week that US representatives had confirmed his group would have a role in Gaza's future police force.

Earlier this month, Astal grinned when I asked if he had spoken to the Americans about the future, and told me he would share the details soon.

Many Gazans - including those disillusioned with Hamas - are unhappy with the new power given to these small and fragmented armed groups. One resident expressed that they feel these groups that co-operate with the occupation are the worst outcome of the war.

Critics argue that arming these different local groups could complicate efforts to disarm Hamas and introduce international forces to stabilize Gaza.

Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, warns that Israel's tactics might backfire, recalling past instances where support for insurgency led to unforeseen consequences.

The future of these militia and their integration into Gaza's governance structure remains uncertain, amidst a backdrop of skepticism and resistance from local populations who fear further fragmentation and loss of legitimacy.