New and disturbing details are emerging about the killing of Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jaafari in Gaza City on Sunday, with sources on the ground attributing his murder to an armed gang known as the “Popular Forces,” which is reportedly backed and armed by the Israeli military. The allegations reframe the journalist’s death from a case of being caught in factional crossfire to a targeted killing by a proxy force operating under Israeli protection.
Al-Jaafari, one of the last independent journalists reporting from inside Gaza City, was shot and killed while filming armed clashes in the al-Sabra neighborhood. Initial reports described the violence as “internal clashes,” but it is now being attributed to this newly prominent and controversial armed group.
The “Popular Forces” (PF) are described by critics as a collection of criminals and gang members. Even former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has reportedly referred to them in the past as “ISIS-linked criminals and felons.” The group is allegedly led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a convicted drug trafficker who reportedly escaped from prison during an Israeli airstrike.
According to multiple reports, Abu Shabab has openly admitted to his collaboration with Israel. In a stunning admission on Israeli state radio, he allegedly confirmed that he coordinates his group’s movements and operations directly with the Israeli military. Eyewitnesses in Gaza have reported seeing armed PF units, equipped with old rifles allegedly supplied by the Netanyahu government, moving freely in close proximity to IDF positions.
The group’s primary activities are said to include attacking Palestinian civilians, looting food and aid supplies, and confronting any remaining Hamas-affiliated elements. They are, in effect, accused of being a proxy force used by Israel to sow chaos and establish a semblance of control in the areas of northern Gaza vacated by the IDF.
The collaboration is reportedly so reviled that Abu Shabab’s own family has publicly disowned him and called for his death.
The killing of Saleh al-Jaafari by this group suggests a targeted effort to eliminate independent voices and journalists documenting the chaotic and violent reality on the ground. His reporting would have likely exposed the nature of the “Popular Forces” and their links to the Israeli military. The incident adds a dark and complex layer to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, indicating the emergence of a new and brutal phase of proxy violence amid the fragile, collapsing ceasefire.
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