Of the various new armed groups in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas and are linked to Israel, the ‘Popular Defence Forces’ in the south of the strip is probably the least well-known. It is not to be confused with another ‘Popular DefenceForces’ located in Shejaiya further north in the strip and led by one Rami Hillis. Featuring an affiliate called the ‘Martyr Khalil al-Wazir Battalion’ (named for a leading Fatah figure who was assassinated by the Mossad in Tunisia), thesouthern ‘Popular Defence Forces’ was hailed by ‘Popular Forces’ (aka ‘Counterterrorism Service’) leader Ghassan Duhine as ‘one of the foundational auxiliary forces that assist the Counterterrorism Service’ when it offered condolences on the death of the Popular Forces’ first leader Yasser Abu Shabab in December 2025 (see below).
Below is an interview I recently conducted with a representative of the ‘PopularDefence Forces’ to learn more about its origins, activities and outlook on Gaza. It is edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: What are the origins of the ‘Popular Defence Forces’ and in which areas do you operate exactly? And what are your positions on Hamas and Fatah?
A: The Popular Defence Forces originated from all of the Gaza Strip, from theheart of oppression, subjugation, suffering, death and blood. Hamas is a terrorist movement that only understands the language of blood, killing and destruction. Thus we left our homes to defend our people. We are in the south of the Strip, specifically the area of Rafah. In east Rafah you have the PopularForces led by Ghassan Duhine. Ghassan has his own group while we have our own group.
Hamas has nothing to do with our cause. Our people want peace, freedom and a dignified life. We are the soldiers of this homeland and will defend it even if theprice is our life. The aim is to achieve freedom for our people. As for the Fatah Movement, it is the sole militant movement that has brought our people on thecorrect path, and the people of Fatah are the people of truth who have the right to defend themselves against Hamas. Hamas has no religion, and no one in theworld knows Hamas besides our people. Hamas must be eliminated.
We want total peace between us and our Israeli neighbours.
Q: What are the Popular Defence Forces’ most important accomplishments infighting Hamas until now?
A: We help the people as much as we can. Most of the people whom Hamas got involved in this war have nothing else. The people are hungry and thrown out on the streets.
Q: So for example does the Popular Defence Forces provide humanitarian aid to the people who seek refuge in the areas where it is present?
A: Of course: water, food and medicine.
Q: Does the Popular Defence Forces get support from Israel? And what’s your position on Israel?
A: Our people want peace between us and our Israeli neighbours. We don’t want wars between us and them. We want total peace. As our support, we made an appeal to everyone: that we in the Gaza Strip are oppressed by Hamas and theterrorist organisations: wherever they are, there is destruction. We appealed to all the Arab, Islamic and European states. Some of them responded to our call after 20 years of rule under the Ikhwanjis*, the sons of terrorist Iran, the people of terrorist who must be destroyed. Our people want freedom, independence and life, and our children want to live like the children of other peoples. We want freedom, not arms and wars. We do coordinate with all our neighbours.
Hamas is fighting for the sake of its control of Palestine, even if the Gaza Strip remains an area of chaos for the interest of Iran and as a pressure tool on Israel for Iranian interests. Our people do not want to remain a tool for anyone. We will build our homeland and strive for lasting peace, freedom and an independent future. These are our aims and our first aim is to destroy the terrorism within our homeland and keep arms away from the terrorists’ hands in order to bring about peace and security for our country.
Hamas is a terrorist movement that only understands blood and destruction.
We endured Hamas for 18 years out of fear and concern for our people’s blood, and we asked them to go back on the coup and hand over the Gaza Strip to thelegitimate Palestinian Authority, but Hamas manipulated us a lot and we lost citizens and civilians because of them. Hamas was constructing tunnels under civilians’ homes in order to strike Israel and make Israel target the place in order to cause a massacre and say to the world: ‘This is Israel.’ Brother, I do not defend Israel but this is the truth. And then they carried out and implemented their black attack on our people (not Israel). This is how Hamas behaved. And two days after its operation, provisions, water, diesel fuel and electricity disappeared. It removed its hand from bearing responsibility towards our people. Our people have been slaughtered, killed, displaced and starved. As for Hamas, there is no life when you call at them, and their wretched leaders and their children on the outside enjoy hotels.
Q: In the end do you want to return Gaza to the Palestinian Authority and thetwo-state solution?
A: Dear brother, Hamas has made all countries, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, Libya, Jordan etc., become enemies of our people. Eventually brother, as I mentioned at the beginning of the conversation, we want total peace and we want the return of the legitimate authority that protects our homeland of theGaza Strip, together with the surrender of all the terrorists’ weapons in the Strip and the West Bank as well. We want peace and we want legitimacy, brother.
Q: What was your position on the recent war between Iran and the U.S.?
A: We support changing the Iranian regime.
We will not compromise on ending Hamas’ existence.
Q: In all honesty do you trust Israel’s intentions? For example there are people who say Israel is not interested in peace, the evidence for this being settlement-building in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority is present but without peace. What’s your view of that?
A: Dear brother, in my view, in all honesty I am confident Israel wants peace and wants our people to live and breathe freedom. I came to realise that Israel does not want our people- the people of the Gaza Strip- to perish. None of our leaders has spoken clearly and earnestly with Israel about the peace process. ThePalestinian Authority by the way has been shying away from the peace process out of fear of the terrorist organisations like the terrorist Hamas. After Hamas carried out the coup against Gaza, Hamas tried to make a hidden peace removed from the media out of fear of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, even though we knew for sure and were completely certain that Hamas was coordinating with Israel in a way that was more intense than the coordination of the legitimate Palestinian Authority with Israel.
I swear to you by God, even if it costs us our lives, we will not compromise on fighting Hamas’ terrorism, until we destroy and eliminate them, and we will remain in sacrifice for this homeland and our people. Even if the price is our lives, we will not compromise on ending Hamas’ existence. We will get our people out from the prison of Hamas and from darkness to light and freedom, a new dawn and great future that befits our people and their sacrifices.
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*-Derogatory reference to adherents of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas originates.
Published originally on April 11, 2026.
