International Hamas launches surprise attack on Israel; Israel has declared a state of war Megathread

[Anewt]

And yet I am crazy to think according to Avenue that Hamas directly or indirectly are behind lootings. Gazans just know if they do it without Hamas's permission they'll get shot. But I am sure Hamas lets them pick which leg.

hes referring to the fact that the militias were openly stealing aid... and operated in idf zones...

Theres zero chance it was 80% hamas... that claim is so bogus it boggles my mind.

because we know what would happen to hamas operatives Out in the open... and it would be easy as hades to track them........

Its been the israelie backed militias for ages... ive posted on it countless times.



Satellite images and videos verified by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz showed on Thursday that a new Palestinian militia has expanded its presence in southern Gaza, and is operating inside an area under the direct control of the Israel Defense Forces.

The group, which has also been accused of ties to jihadist groups, is reportedly led by a man known as Yasser abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family, known locally for his involvement in criminal activity and the looting of humanitarian aid.


The Times of Israel cited defence sources who said that Israel provided members of Abu Shabab’s faction with Kalashnikov assault rifles, including some weapons seized from Hamas. The operation was approved by Israel’s security cabinet and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the newspaper reported, noting that its article had been approved for publication by Israel’s military censor.

In a video posted on social media late on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel had “activated” some Palestinian clans in Gaza, on the advice of “security officials,” in order to save lives of Israeli soldiers.

The 'uncharismatic, illiterate' criminal behind Gaza's aid-looting gangs

Violent gangs have been raiding convoys of aid as they are trucked through Gaza, and behind one of the largest groups is a criminal who has reportedly been armed and protected by Israel.

www.abc.net.au

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/18/gaza-looting-aid-convoys-israel-famine/

I mean.. the guy literally says it him... and he operates in idf zones stockpiling aid... and has for ages throughout this conflict... ive shared it countless times..

His warehouse with fork lifts where the aid got unloaded were in idf controlled zones.... Along with his villas....

Convoys and more​

Last month, soon after limited aid began entering Gaza, Abu Shabab posted that his group had secured 101 trucks of aid, mostly flour, brought in by the World Food Programme, and praised “my loyal brothers who sacrificed their lives, and everyone who volunteered their primitive weapons or a drop of sweat to feed the bereaved and displaced.”

On May 17, the day before the Kerem Shalom crossing reopened, work started on a tent encampment in eastern Rafah, according to satellite imagery reviewed by CNN. That work appears to have concluded on May 30.

The camp is less than 500 meters from where Abu Shabab runs checkpoints.

Please go to this site below.... these militias have been used a aweful lot for israels pr war...

The videos are all there

Its often the source of a lot of propaganda people in here share

Guns, cash and American aid: Investigation reveals Israel's support for Gaza militia

The former looting gang is living in luxury thanks to aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and smuggled cash, cars and cigarettes.

news.sky.com

A Sky News investigation has uncovered new details about Israel’s support for a Palestinian rebel group with extremist ties and a history of looting aid trucks.





Cash, cars and cigarettes

Deep within the rubble fields of southern Gaza lie 50 hectares of pastoral lanes and elaborate villas.

Unlike in other parts of Gaza, residents here have ample supplies of food.

Medical facilities, a school, and even a mosque have been set up in recent months.

On social media, residents show off stacks of cash, brand new smartphones and imported dirt bikes.

This small neighbourhood is the headquarters of the Popular Forces, Yasser Abu Shabab's former looting gang which now, with Israel's backing, hopes to wrest control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas.


Speaking exclusively to Sky News, a senior commander in the Popular Forces says that around 1,500 people are now living in the base, including 500-700 fighters.

The base's location is strategically important - it sits along the route by which aid trucks must travel when entering Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, a route that aid officials have named "Looters' Alley"

An internal UN report, dated November 2024, identified Yasser Abu Shabab and his gang as "the most influential stakeholders behind the systematic and massive looting of convoys".

The video below shows members of the group unloading World Food Programme flour sacks from a truck at their camp.

The UN document identified their primary source of income as smuggling cigarettes - one of the many goods which Israel has officially banned from entering Gaza. The price of individual cigarettes has at some points reached $20.

In the videos below, one active member of the Popular Forces shows off stacks of cash and cartons of cigarettes.

A complete breach of humanitarian principles'

Food, Hassan says, is provided free of charge by a number of "donors", including the controversial US-backed aid group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and is delivered to their camp by merchants.

He says the Popular Forces then keep some food for themselves, and distribute the rest within Rafah.

UNRWA's Gaza director Sam Rose says that giving aid directly to an armed faction is a "complete breach of humanitarian principles", which dictate that aid should be provided based on need and should not favour any side in a conflict.

Sky News found video evidence of numerous pallets of GHF food at Yasser Abu Shabab's camp, including some with their wrapping intact.

 

[SuperAlly]

 

[GearSolidMetal]

If you are gonna play grammar police make sure "correction" is correct or you just look dumb and uneducated as well as a pedant. Apologies doesn't fit there.

I find that the 'grammar police' are those who know they've been defeated on the merits of their arguments when it's been exposed the facts don't like up with their proposed narrative...

...so they try to point out one or two grammar or spelling mistakes in a pathetic attempt to claim intellectual superiority.

There's exceptions to this, of course, like @idrankyourbeer apparently thinks proper punctuation would give him cancer, or when someone's posts are so filled with grammar and spelling mistakes its evident their IQ is between Palestinian and Somolian....it's worth asking them to improve their writing quality or say their writing is not worth reading.

So, when someone is soundly defeated and starts pointing out small grammar or spelling errors... Its practically...

 

[Anewt]

As if Hamas have been conducting a war consistently dressed in uniform the past 2 years.

If you'll believe this, you'll believe anything.

Thats a palestinian militia guy openly mocking hamas. Not sure what im supposed to be believing ?


Trust me. You should be as against those militia's as you are hamas. It always ends up the same way.

Youd get a kick at whose helping them smuggle the smokes and cash i reckon lol

Sky News contacted Sami after observing numerous interactions on TikTok between Popular Forces members and his unit, the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion.

Better known as Unit 585, this battalion is usually stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing - the same crossing through which Yasser Abu Shabab's supplies are smuggled.

Greetings to Abu Shabab from 585," read one comment left by a soldier, alongside a hearts emoji.

Like the majority of soldiers in Unit 585, Sami is a Muslim bedouin. His family have served in the IDF for generations, and he says he is proud to serve Israel.

He is equally proud of the support that Israel is providing to Yasser Abu Shabab and his followers, who are also largely bedouins.

"Israel helps him, it gives him grenades, it gives him money, it gives him vehicles, it gives him food, it gives him all types of things," he says.

The IDF declined to comment on Sky's findings. Shin Bet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sky News has been tracking the vehicles obtained by Yasser Abu Shabab over recent months, which include multiple high-end SUVs and motorbikes.

One TikTok account, which maintains close ties to both Popular Forces members and soldiers in Unit 585, has repeatedly posted footage of vehicles with Israeli licence plates that later end up at the Popular Forces' camp in Gaza.

The video below, uploaded on 31 July, shows a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser driving along an Israeli road and sporting an Israeli licence plate. Information linked to the licence plate confirms that the car was last tested on 27 July, and was sold that same month.



It's not exactly clear when Yasser Abu Shabab turned against Hamas. Sky News obtained evidence that he had attempted to join the organisation's feared security services in 2010.

One of his senior commanders, Issam Nabahin, has a longer history of militancy.

[ islamic state fighter ]


I thought we all had been down this road enough times ?

 

[GearSolidMetal]

 

[GearSolidMetal]

 

[ShadowRun]

Not surprised

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Not surprised

Posted that earlier in the thread.

Human filth.

Can't say much more than that or the mods would be right to dub me.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Anyone else notice what all 20 hostages who survived have in common?

They're all men.

Hamas raped and killed the female hostages.

 

[Anewt]

Anyone else notice what all 20 hostages who survived have in common?

They're all men.

Hamas raped and killed the female hostages.

There was only 1 female hostage left bud. Theyd already been freed ( some in rescues some in the other trade ) woman and children first and all that. Theres a reason the oldest was 48 and the rest were 21-38.

Last ones to be negotiated for , standard fare for right or wrong.

Who are the hostages being released from Gaza? - BBC News

A ceasefire deal should see Hamas hand over all 48 remaining Israeli and foreign hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

www.bbc.com

Inbar Hayman, 27, was kidnapped during the attack on the Nova festival and was killed by Hamas in captivity, her family said. She is the last female hostage being held.
She was the last woman held by hamas.. ( even remains )

Of the 48 hostages remaining ( sadly ) dead or alive there was only 1 female.

i Would be interested in seeing a list involving deaths and ages tp see if your assumption pans out. BUt cant find any and its a bit of a downer when really. Its the best days that region has had for quite some time. Bar those families who held onto hope , which from what i have read is a unfortunate few

 

[DEVILsSON]

These two statements in the English language are not identical, which is your inane argument. Are starving Palestinians Hamas?

90% of UN aid trucks in Gaza were looted by starving Palestinians, ‘armed actors’ before reaching destinations: officials

Hamas don't wear uniforms(who the hell are these 'armed actors'?), they control the area, they are severely punishing those who do it without their permission, etc...connect the dots just a bit...

I think you mean apologies or apologize, but any who, quote where I've apologized for Hamas. You keep mistaking observations and historical facts with my morals.

I think you may want to actually look up what the word means. I slightly misused it on purpose since it's a commonly used designation in Christian scholarship. If pogrom can mean whatever the hell you want it to mean then I can use this word in this context. I know I know you'll feign knowing what the word meant by finally looking it up.

You mean the agencies that the IDF kept on attacking and killing?

Let's zoom out here: Are members of Hamas doing security around aid distribution sites valid targets for the IDF? If your answer is yes, then how would Hamas be able to protect these aid sites? If no, then why did Israel repeatedly target Hamas members around aid sites?

Hamas and civilians are one and the same when looking at the crowds since Hamas don't wear uniforms...the locals know who's who though...

Afraid to admit I'm American? It's not a secret and something that's clear from my posts on American subjects.

If it was so clear you wouldn't have deflected or not answered. You still haven't said if you are born or naturalized. I am sure you overlooked it for the whatever time I asked. I am a naturalized citizen since I graduated my high school through my parents. I have been a citizen for twenty five years.

So the Jewish organization I referenced is misusing the term pogrom?

Well fuck ...you found some agency to agree with you...I can also find entities and people using terms in some loose manner...

And while I shouldn't be surprised from someone who thought the Cambodian genocide occurred in the 90s, the 1998 pogrom and genocides I referred to are separate episodes. Congratulations on failing basic history yet again.

I already said I was fucking around here. I don't care to even look it up. It just makes you look even more ridiculous by even bringing it up. You literally have nothing to do with it.

What part of my stance is naive?

You do a lot of empty posturing. You talk about how things should be while not ever having been in a similar situation where your safety or that of your family was on the line. Morality goes out the window with Islamists who are trying to annihilate you.

Remember, Israel has already tried the gloves off approach, and it birthed Hamas and utterly failed.

Horseshit. Did they try to use Hamas to some ends? Maybe. But to claim Israel birthed it? Common man....you can't be serious...

Again, Israel has not fought for its survival in about half a century. It's a regional hegemon armed with nuclear weapons, surrounded by countries that can't come close to matching it militarily, before we even get into the US' support of Israel.

Facepalm. Israel is a dot. As Hamas have shown, even the powerful IDF can be caught off guard. These low lifes repeatedly attack on religious holidays and whenever they think Israel let its guard down. Had it been a coalition of more powerful neighbors it could have been far worse.

Who will Israel nuke?

And again, you're ducking. If experiencing hardship and slaughter firsthand is a requisite to comment on Israel, why is your opinion more valid than Dallaire's regarding Gaza? I've never made a claim that proximity to suffering grants moral authority, that's idiotic and your claim.

Ducking what? I am saying you're posturing as if you experienced some life threatening hardships and somehow maintained your morality in the process which is a complete joke. Your attempt at trying to use your family as some sort of authority fell flat on its face.

You repeatedly play apologetics for the Muslim world and hold the only Jewish nation to some idiotic higher standard disregarding where it is located, how the rest of the Muslim/Arab world operates, etc ....those other Western democracies aren't surrounded on all sides as a pin on a map by historical enemies. Even the currently neutral or somewhat friendly nations could at any point shift their stances so Israel must always keep its guard. Again I am all about a pragmatic approach and expectations.

 

[DEVILsSON]

Hamas releases all 20 remaining living hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire

Hamas has released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the Gaza Strip, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.

apnews.com

Good.

 

[The_Renaissance]

All living hostages are back with their families in Israel - superb fucking news. Now release the dead bodies of those who didn't make it and we can move onto the next step whatever that maybe.

 

[SuperAlly]

Thats a palestinian militia guy openly mocking hamas. Not sure what im supposed to be believing ?


Trust me. You should be as against those militia's as you are hamas. It always ends up the same way.

Youd get a kick at whose helping them smuggle the smokes and cash i reckon lol

Sky News contacted Sami after observing numerous interactions on TikTok between Popular Forces members and his unit, the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion.

Better known as Unit 585, this battalion is usually stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing - the same crossing through which Yasser Abu Shabab's supplies are smuggled.

Greetings to Abu Shabab from 585," read one comment left by a soldier, alongside a hearts emoji.

Like the majority of soldiers in Unit 585, Sami is a Muslim bedouin. His family have served in the IDF for generations, and he says he is proud to serve Israel.

He is equally proud of the support that Israel is providing to Yasser Abu Shabab and his followers, who are also largely bedouins.

"Israel helps him, it gives him grenades, it gives him money, it gives him vehicles, it gives him food, it gives him all types of things," he says.

The IDF declined to comment on Sky's findings. Shin Bet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sky News has been tracking the vehicles obtained by Yasser Abu Shabab over recent months, which include multiple high-end SUVs and motorbikes.

One TikTok account, which maintains close ties to both Popular Forces members and soldiers in Unit 585, has repeatedly posted footage of vehicles with Israeli licence plates that later end up at the Popular Forces' camp in Gaza.

The video below, uploaded on 31 July, shows a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser driving along an Israeli road and sporting an Israeli licence plate. Information linked to the licence plate confirms that the car was last tested on 27 July, and was sold that same month.



It's not exactly clear when Yasser Abu Shabab turned against Hamas. Sky News obtained evidence that he had attempted to join the organisation's feared security services in 2010.

One of his senior commanders, Issam Nabahin, has a longer history of militancy.

[ islamic state fighter ]


I thought we all had been down this road enough times ?

I'm basically against all the military terrorist groups in Palestine as I believe you are too. A shame that isn't the only opinion in this thread.

 

[balkanbomber85]

What I see now is that non of the Pro-Pali crowd is celebrating the end of the war, like really nobody.

Its what I said at the very beginning, the Pro-Pali crowd is the worst enemy of the people in Gaza because the predominant porition of them is not really interessted in those people per se, they are interested in their perverted idea of Islam standing its ground in the middle east and not letting any other Religion have their territory there. It makes my stomach sick how those people are, but well, it is as it is. Most are now sitting angry at home and hating that the war just ended instead of some kind of global muslim brotherhood alliance going all in against israel, sending brothers and sisters over who will make the "from the river to the sea" reality.

 

[The_Renaissance]

What I see now is that non of the Pro-Pali crowd is celebrating the end of the war, like really nobody.

Its what I said at the very beginning, the Pro-Pali crowd is the worst enemy of the people in Gaza because the predominant porition of them is not really interessted in those people per se, they are interested in their perverted idea of Islam standing its ground in the middle east and not letting any other Religion have their territory there. It makes my stomach sick how those people are, but well, it is as it is. Most are now sitting angry at home and hating that the war just ended instead of some kind of global muslim brotherhood alliance going all in against israel, sending brothers and sisters over who will make the "from the river to the sea" reality.

Exactly, lots of people online genuinely seem pissed off at the end of the war.

 

[Madmick]

Remember when this thing started and all of the usual cynics asserted it was impossible for Israel to win a war?

Not only have they secured all remaining living hostages, but more eyebrow raising is that Phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement calls for Hamas to demobilize and demilitarize. They are explicitly required to disarm. Uh...that's surrender. They tapped out. Waved the white flag. No mas, Netanyahu, no mas.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/live-blog/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasfire-hostages-live-updates-rcna237201

Additionally, after the provisional government period, ultimately, while Macron and the French yapped about getting power handed over to the Palestinian Authority (to "isolate Hamas") without any plan on how to achieve that...Trump's administration actually did it. That's who will ultimately take over in Gaza.

Netanyahu advisor expresses 'deep faith' in Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan framework approach

Israeli officials say Trump's 20-point Gaza plan gives Israel tools to prevent future threats while establishing international oversight under the Board of Peace.

www.foxnews.com

LOL, I love seeing the same people be wrong over and over and over again without ever witnessing them evolve their opinions.

 

[Strychnine]

Posted that earlier in the thread.

Human filth.

Can't say much more than that or the mods would be right to dub me.

Thank you for your restraint. It IS greatly appreciated.

 

[Rholk]

I read that the leaders of the UK & France are going to Egypt for the ceasefire talks aswell.
Goddamn do they deserve to be embarassed for their failure in recent months.
Not a huge fan of Trump, but if he calls them out on their recent bitch moves he earns some kudos.
Seat them at a kids table or something.

Israel got the memo a long time ago, the only thing those extremists understand is strength.

And personally i do suspect that that single strike on Qatar had more of an impact than it seemed.
Perhaps it helped to burst some bubbles about perceived immunity/safety.

 

[Volador]

First “““genocide””” in history that was ended by the side being “““genocided””” returning civilian hostages that their illegitimate terrorist government and its armed groups kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. What an absolute joke Pallywood propaganda is. Pure filth.