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Five killed in Israeli strike on Gaza encampment

Five killed in Israeli strike on Gaza encampment
By Stephen Quillen, Federica Marsi, Brian Osgood and Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
Published On 4 Dec 2025

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4 Dec 2025 - 22:59
 (22:59 GMT)

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To learn more about the killing of anti-Hamas gang leader Yasser Abu Shabab in Gaza, read this.

For more on ongoing Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank, see here.

And read more about nations boycotting Eurovision 2026 over Israel’s inclusion.

 

4 Dec 2025 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

This live page will soon close. Here are the day’s main developments:

  • Yasser Abu Shabab, who gained notoriety in Gaza as the leader of a gang accused of collaboration with Israel and the theft of humanitarian aid, was killed under circumstances that remain unclear.
  • Hamas said Abu Shabab met the “inevitable fate” of those who betray their people and their territory.
  • Israel carried out air strikes across Gaza, killing at least six people – including children and women – and wounding 16 others as it continues to violate the October 10 US-brokered ceasefire.
  • The Israeli military attacked four towns in southern Lebanon as President Joseph Aoun announced a second round of civilian talks with Israel will take place on December 19 to prevent “a second war”.
  • The singing tournament Eurovision said it will not hold a vote on whether to ban Israel from participating because of its genocide in Gaza, leading a number of nations to refuse participation.
  • A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was shot in the head during an Israeli army raid on the city of Qalqilya, the occupied West Bank, in the latest military violence there.
4 Dec 2025 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Gaza family incinerated in Israeli air strike on ‘safe zone’

Israel burned a Palestinian family to death in their tent while bombing a displacement camp and a nearby hospital in southern Gaza.

The victims included a father and his two children, aged eight and 10.

Israel has violated its ceasefire deal with Hamas at least 591 times in the 55 days since it took effect, resulting in the deaths of at least 366 people.

 

4 Dec 2025 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)
Analysis

Israel ‘discarded’ Gaza gang leader ‘into dustbin of history’

Muhammad Shehada, a Palestinian political analyst, says Israel has used Abu Shabab’s gang to advance two main goals in Gaza: looting aid and forcing Palestinians into a “concentration camp” in Rafah in the south of the enclave.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said at the time Palestinians in the “humanitarian sterile zone” would not be allowed to access the rest of the Strip, and would eventually be pushed out of the territory, Shehada told Al Jazeera.

“The Israelis understood that if the [Israeli army] calls on people to move into such a concentration camp, nobody would show up. But if they get a Palestinian – dressed up in a Palestinian uniform with a Palestinian flag on it – they might fool some people into moving there,” he said.

“Otherwise, Israel has been using [Abu Shabab’s militia] for hit-and-run operations, kidnapping, torture, extorting, collecting intelligence, going into areas that are too dangerous for the [army] or going into areas before the [army] to clear them out.”

Shehada added Abu Shabab’s killing marks a “very heavy hit” for Israel’s efforts in Gaza, in part because it demonstrates to the other leaders of Palestinian armed groups receiving Israeli support that they will not be protected.

“As soon as [Abu Shabab] got killed, Israel discarded him into the dustbin of history,” Shehada said.

4 Dec 2025 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

Press freedom group decries Israel’s ban on media entering Gaza

The Foreign Press Association has released a statement expressing opposition to a decision by the Israeli Supreme Court delaying a ruling on press access to Gaza.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has barred foreign journalists from reporting inside the Strip as its military routinely targeted and killed Palestinian journalists there.

“This is an urgent appeal. Continuously preventing coverage – every minute, every hour, every day – seriously undermines the ability of international media to carry out their mission, and infringes on the fundamental rights of billions of users,” the association said in a statement.

4 Dec 2025 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)
Analysis

In Gaza peace process, ‘Israel has lost room to manoeuvre’

Some hardline ministers in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government – one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history – reject President Trump’s Gaza peace plan and continue to publicly promote seizing the territory and the “voluntary migration” of its Palestinian population.

But Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University, cautioned against taking “all those dramatic outbursts from government ministers too seriously”.

“Israel has lost room to manoeuvre, has lost leverage,” Milshtein said, noting how different the situation is now compared to two months earlier, when Prime Minister Netanyahu still made “maximalist” demands.

The UN Security Council resolution, which endorsed the Trump peace plan in November, authorises the formation of a “Board of Peace”, a transitional governing body for Gaza, and the creation of an international stabilisation force to help demilitarise it.

Indonesian, Pakistani, and Turkish troops have been suggested to make up the peacekeeping force, with Israel outright rejecting Turkiye’s participation.

Milshtein, however, said the days of Israel calling all the shots are over. “If Trump decides Turkey is a good partner for the international force, then that’s what’s going to happen.”

Turkish soldiers in the village of Qaminas, northwestern Syria, in 2020 [File: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]
4 Dec 2025 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)

WATCH: Gaza war amputees mark International Disabilities Day

Palestinians with a range of disabilities came together in Gaza to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities earlier this week as campaigners called for better recognition of people living with disabilities.

See more in our report from Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, below.

4 Dec 2025 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Every child in Gaza affected by deadly Israeli violence: UNICEF

The UN’s child rights agency (UNICEF) says one million Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip “have endured daily horrors simply trying to survive”.

“Every child in Gaza has experienced loss – of family and friends, of their homes and schools, and of the lives they once knew,” the group said in a statement.

UNICEF said it’s working to offer psychosocial and mental health support for children affected by Israel’s two-year military onslaught, “to help ease the long-term psychological and physical toll” that the violence has had on families.

4 Dec 2025 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)
Explainer

What happens next under the US-brokered Gaza peace plan?

Negotiations on the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire continue without significant progress.

President Donald Trump’s plan has various stages: a truce, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, setting up a new administration for Gaza, and then finally the reconstruction of the territory levelled by Israel’s genocidal war.

For now, the Israeli government demands that the last captive’s remains are returned before any talks begin on the second phase via the mediating countries: the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye.

Egypt will also host a conference on Gaza’s reconstruction that will focus on the territory’s humanitarian needs, but no date has yet been set.

“Israel doesn’t really seem to be putting any serious thought into what the post-war phase is supposed to look like,” said Michael Milshtein, a researcher at Tel Aviv University.

4 Dec 2025 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)
Analysis

‘Writing on the wall’ for anti-Hamas militia leader

Israel’s policy of backing anti-Hamas armed groups took shape after it launched its devastating war on Gaza in October 2023.

In an article published in the Wall Street Journal in July, Yasser Abu Shabab – a member of the Tarabin Bedouin tribe – said his Popular Forces established its own administration in the Rafah area and urged US and Arab nations to recognise and support it.

Abu Shabab’s group has denied being backed by Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu said in June that Israel’s backing for Gaza clans saved the lives of Israeli soldiers.

But the policy has also drawn criticism from some in Israel who say such groups can provide no real alternative to Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007.

“The writing was on the wall – whether he was killed by Hamas or in some clan infighting – it was obvious that it would end this way,” said Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli military intelligence officer at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv.

Several other anti-Hamas groups have emerged in areas of Gaza held by Israel. Palestinian political analyst Reham Owda said Abu Shabab’s death will fuel doubts among them about their “ability to challenge Hamas”.

4 Dec 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Hamas says slain Gaza gang leader Abu Shabab met ‘inevitable fate’

The Palestinian group says the killing of Yasser Abu Shabab in Gaza is “the inevitable fate of all who betray their people and homeland and are content to be tools in the hands of the [Israeli] occupation”.

As we reported, Abu Shabab led an armed group said to have received Israel’s support as part of an effort to weaken Hamas. His so-called Popular Forces were also accused of looting humanitarian aid during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“The criminal acts perpetrated by the so-called Yasser Abu Shabab and his gang represent a blatant departure from the national and social consensus,” Hamas said in a statement on Telegram.

“We affirm the occupation, which failed to protect its own agents, will be unable to protect any of its lackeys, and the fate of all who tamper with the security of their people and serve their enemy is to fall into the dustbin of history, losing all respect and standing in their society.”

4 Dec 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Israeli artillery shelling targets Syria’s Quneitra province

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reports the Israeli military fired several artillery shells into its southern Quneitra region, as well as the western countryside of Deraa.

Citing a reporter in Quneitra, the news agency said Israeli forces attacked the outskirts of Kuwaya, a town in western Deraa, and Tal Ahmar Sharqi in Quneitra.

The Israeli army also set up a checkpoint on a road connecting two villages in Quneitra, the news report said.

Israel has carried out a series of deadly bombings as well as frequent army incursions into Syrian territory since the fall of longtime President Bashar al-Assad last December.

Israeli armoured vehicles block a road leading to the town of Quneitra in January [File: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP]
4 Dec 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

More on Israeli collaborator killed in Gaza

Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin tribal leader based in Israeli-held Rafah in southern Gaza, led the most prominent of several small anti-Hamas groups that emerged during Israel’s genocidal war that began more than two years ago.

  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in June that Israel armed anti-Hamas clans, though Israel has announced few other details of the policy since then.
  • Abu Shabab’s group has continued to operate from areas of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces since Hamas and Israel reached a US-backed ceasefire in October.
  • Rafah has been the scene of some of the worst violence during the ceasefire. Residents reported gunbattles there on Wednesday, and Israel said four of its soldiers were wounded. The Israeli military said on Thursday its forces killed some 40 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels below Rafah.
  • On November 18, Abu Shabab’s group posted a video showing dozens of fighters receiving orders from his deputy to launch a security sweep to “clear Rafah of terror” – an apparent reference to Hamas fighters holed up there.
  • After his killing, the Popular Forces militia pledged to continue Abu Shabab’s path and to “fight terrorism” in Gaza.
    Hamas fighters targeted Abu Shabab’s Popular Forces in a series of gun battles [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]
4 Dec 2025 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

‘Disgrace’: Israel welcomes Eurovision decision; chides boycotters

News that Eurovision would not hold a vote on whether to ban Israel was met with gratitude from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who thanked “all our friends who stood up for Israel’s right to continue to contribute and compete at Eurovision”.

“I am pleased that Israel will once again participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, and I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding,” Herzog said on X.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also welcomed the announcement as he slammed countries choosing to boycott the event next year.

“I welcome the decision of the European Broadcasting Union. I am ashamed of those countries that chose to boycott a music competition like Eurovision because of Israel’s participation. The disgrace is upon them,” Saar said on X.

4 Dec 2025 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

A look at how Israel roiled Eurovision singing contest

By Willem Marx

Reporting from London, UK

This contest is very widely watched around the world, one of the most-watched televised events anywhere.

Israel’s entry last year came in at number two in this singing contest. There was a huge controversy around the way votes were cast for Israel’s entry and indications that the Israeli government promoted its entrant and tried to encourage Europeans to vote for that contestant.

We saw a lot of countries very unhappy about that. We had a meeting today in Geneva where many members of the European Broadcasting Union – EBU, which organises Eurovision – met to try and decide whether they should try to tighten the rules around voting.

Many of them went into that meeting saying that was not going to be enough, however. Since that meeting has broken up today, there has not been a public vote around Israel’s participation.

Nonetheless, countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and Ireland – having threatened that they would no longer take part in the contest if Israel was allowed to – have indeed followed through on that.

4 Dec 2025 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Slovenia says it won’t participate in Eurovision as Israel allowed

Slovenia is the latest European country to refuse to take part in Eurovision in 2026 after the competition declined to hold a vote on whether to ban Israel.

“Our message is we will not participate … if Israel is there – on behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza,” said RTV Slovenia Board Chairwoman Natalija Gorscak.

Earlier, Ireland’s public broadcaster RTE said it will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organisers of the massive music event approved Israel’s participation despite calls for its exclusion.

“Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk,” RTW said.

4 Dec 2025 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Palestinians injured in more Israeli attacks in occupied West Bank

Palestinian news agency Wafa reports at least two Palestinians have been wounded in Israeli military raids near Bethlehem:

  • A Palestinian man, Jihad Zawahra, 37, was assaulted by Israeli soldiers who stopped the rubbish collection truck he was driving in the village of al-Maniya. Zawahra suffered injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
  • A teenager was shot in the foot by Israeli soldiers who stormed the town of Tuqu, prompting confrontations with local residents. The army fired live ammunition, tear gas, and concussion grenades to disperse the protesters.

Palestinians across the occupied West Bank have faced an intensified wave of Israeli military and settler violence in the shadow of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

4 Dec 2025 - 19:50
 (19:50 GMT)

WATCH: Another devastating Israeli strike on Lebanon captured on video

Check it out below.

4 Dec 2025 - 19:40
 (19:40 GMT)

Israel says negotiators in Cairo to discuss last captive’s remains

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office says a team of Israeli negotiators travelled to the Egyptian capital today to discuss the release of the final Israeli captive’s remains from Gaza.

The body of Ran Guili, an Israeli police officer, is believed to still be in the Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli delegation in Cairo was led by Gal Hirsch – Israel’s hostages and missing persons coordinator – and included representatives from the Israeli military and the Shin Bet and Mossad security agencies, according to the statement from Netanyahu’s office.

Once the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase is finished with the return of all living and deceased captives, the second phase is supposed to begin with its military’s full withdrawal. Israel, however, still refuses to discuss the second phase until the last body is returned.

A lack of progress is not surprising. Analysts point out the previous truce collapsed in March before the second phase had even begun as Israel launched major military strikes.

4 Dec 2025 - 19:24
 (19:24 GMT)
Houthi

Gaza armed gang says Abu Shabab killed trying to resolve family dispute

The so-called Popular Forces – the armed group headed by Yasser Abu Shabab in the Gaza Strip – has released a statement about the killing of its leader.

Abu Shabab was shot while “attempting to resolve a dispute between members of the Abu Seneima family”, the group said in a statement shared on Facebook.

“There is no truth to any of the misleading reports claiming that he was martyred at the hands of remnants of the terrorist Hamas gang, as they are too weak to harm [Abu Shabab],” it added.

As we’ve reported, Abu Shabab was accused of collaborating with Israel in an effort to counter Hamas during the Israeli military’s genocidal war on Gaza. He and his armed group were also accused of looting desperately needed humanitarian aid.