Gazan militia leader makes first move to dismantle Hamas grip

The call for volunteers includes clear criteria: university graduates, students, retirees, experienced individuals, and young men and women with motivation and willingness.

By Gila Isaacson, JFeed

Yasser Abu Shabab, leader of the “People’s Forces” militia in eastern Rafah, began on Monday to build a civilian governance alternative to Hamas.

Abu Shab issued a call earlier today to recruit Gazan volunteers with diverse skills to fill civilian administrative roles, according to Sapir Lipkin.

Amid the chaos in the Gaza Strip, Abu Shabab’s call seeks volunteers in critical fields such as health, engineering and architecture, education and teaching, management and economics, programming and technology, communications and documentation, law, community services and social development, languages, and translation.

The call for volunteers includes clear criteria: university graduates, students, retirees, experienced individuals, and young men and women with motivation and willingness.

Volunteers will participate in “establishing administrative and community committees in eastern Rafah” to assist in managing the area and restoring civilian life.

Volunteer roles are diverse, aimed at addressing the population’s urgent needs, including aid and rescue committees, field emergency rooms, education and teaching units for children, communication and documentation units to expose violations, coordination of international aid, maintaining civilian order, and technical and electronic support for community infrastructure.

This initiative marks the first tangible attempt to establish a new civilian order in the Gaza Strip outside Hamas’s control, offering a governance alternative to the local population.

In Israel and Gaza, observers are watching the move closely, assessing Abu Shabab’s ability to garner widespread support and fill the governance vacuum in certain areas of the Strip.