Israeli collaborator and militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab, the man most wanted by Hamas, was reportedly killed in Gaza on Thursday, according to local media.

Several Israeli outlets carried the reports, though none provided details on who killed him.

Some accounts said he was killed in an ambush, while others claimed he was shot by a member of his own militia or during internal clashes.

He was said to have been killed in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, an area currently under full Israeli control.

Abu Shabab cooperated with Israel throughout the two-year genocidal war on Gaza, looting aid, and killing or kidnapping Palestinian civilians as well as Hamas fighters.

He was  armed and provided with air cover by Israeli forces.

Since emerging as a militia leader, he had operated from eastern Rafah, under complete Israeli control.

Hamas security forces had previously vowed to track him down during the war.

There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian group following reports of his death.

Channel 12 reported that Abu Shabab was taken by Israeli forces to Soroka Hospital after he was hit, where he was declared dead.

Amit Segal, Israeli journalist and political commentator of Channel 12 news, described Abu Shabab’s killing as a “bad development for Israel”. 

More to follow…