NewNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
First on Fox: As Hamas uses the ceasefire to regroup and establish control over parts of Gaza, a small number of emerging Palestinian militias say they are trying to create an alternative force inside the enclave. Shawki Abu Nasira, one of their leaders, told Fox News Digital that the pause in fighting has become a “kiss of life” for Hamas and warned that the group is rebuilding.
“Hamas works for Iran,” he said. “They became weakened, yes, true, but the ceasefire gave them a kiss of life, and they are now preparing themselves better, trying to equip themselves. They are opening their own centers,” adding, “I want to thank President Trump for seizing Hamas assets and labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.”
Abu Nasira, a former senior Palestinian Authority police officer who spent 16 years in an Israeli prison, is now working with a small group of fighters on the eastern side of Gaza’s “yellow line”, in an area under Israeli military control. “I went east of the yellow line, to the area that is now [controlled by the] Israeli army. “I was forced to leave because I had no choice but to flee from Hamas.”
Trump’s Gaza peace plan could be just a ‘pause’ before Hamas strikes again, experts warn
According to Jussur News, a pan-Arab media outlet that recently launched an English-language channel reporting on Gaza, Abu Nasira’s defection began several years ago when Hamas killed his only son and “dragged his body through the Strip.” He told Jussur that the murder and the public display of the body had strengthened his decision to oppose Hamas.
Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip on December 1, 2025. (Omar al-Qatta/AFP via Getty Images)
Abu Nasira told Fox News Digital that he acknowledged that his own group is small. “Now there are dozens of fighters fighting with me,” he said. “We lack a lot of equipment, and we need better support.” But he argued that many Gazans agreed with his views. “People who are now living in tents, people who are hungry, people who are living on the streets. They don’t have any medicine. These people don’t want Hamas.”
The ceasefire has exposed the chaotic landscape of militias, clan groups and local networks that have emerged as Hamas’ control has weakened. Although none rivals Hamas in size or capability, several factions have gained visibility.
These include the Popular Forces in Rafah, the Popular Army in northern Gaza, the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force in Khan Yunis, and the Shujaiya Popular Defense Force in eastern Gaza City, as well as powerful clan-based networks such as al-Majayda and the Doghmosh family. Their alliances change frequently, and their structure varies widely, but all have appeared or strengthened during the breakdown of centralized rule.
After Trump’s declaration that ‘the war is over’, Hamas kills rivals in Gaza to establish control
Overview of anti-Hamas militias and local armed groups operating in Gaza. (Jusur News)
Abu Nasira said that many of these groups are in contact. “They are our brothers and sisters,” he said. “All these people are holding weapons and fighting Hamas for a reason, because they were first-hand witnesses of Hamas terrorism and they are victims of Hamas.”
He said that initial efforts are underway to unite the groups. “We are coordinating all these groups together to work under one political umbrella, and they can act as the National Guard for eastern Gaza,” he said.
Abu Nasira argued that it should be the Palestinians, not external forces, to remove Hamas from Gaza. “As Palestinians we can attack them now,” he said. “We just need support to win this war, and we can end it in a few months.”
War expert calls Gaza reconstruction plan ‘Disneyland strategy’ to defeat Hamas
Shawki Abu Nasira, Gaza’s anti-emergency Gaza militia leader. (Jusur News)
He rejected the idea that Gazans would fear being called allies. “Whenever you say no to Hamas, you are accused as an operator, or you will be killed,” he said. “Everyone in Gaza knows this, so it doesn’t scare us anymore.”
In a message to the Americans, Abu Nasira said the stakes go beyond Gaza. He said, “Fighting terrorism is a campaign against which we must all fight.” “It could spread from Gaza to the whole world.”
He described Hamas as part of a broader network. “As long as the triangle of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Republic is working together in Iran, it is a threat to the entire human, civilized world,” he said.
Hamas gathers for a show of strength during a parade by the terrorist group in Gaza on January 25, 2025. (TPS-IL)
Click here to download Fox News App
He rejected the concept known as the “Disneyland strategy”, which envisions the creation of functioning civilian areas east of the yellow line to induce pressure against Hamas over time. “It’s a good, good conversation, but it’s long-term,” he said. “We don’t need to give them time to get stronger.”
As Hamas has regained strength under the ceasefire, Abu Nasira said that Palestinians “are ready” and “want to fight for our future”, stressing that with international support, a unified alternative can still be built.
