Issam Nabahin | |
|---|---|
| Native name | عصام نباهين |
| Born | |
| Allegiance |  Popular Forces administration |
| Service years |  Islamic State: mid-2010s – ? [a] Popular Forces: 2024 – present |
| Battles / wars | |
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status | Fugitive |
| Criminal penalty | Death (2023) |
Wanted by | Hamas |
| Escaped | 7 October 2023 (first escape), 11 June 2025 (second escape) |
Date apprehended | 2023 (first arrest), 9 June 2025 (second arrest) |
Issam Nabahin [b] is a Palestinian militant who is a senior commander [1] in the Popular Forces, an anti-Hamas militia in the Gaza Strip formerly led by Yasser Abu Shabab and as of 5 December 2025 led by Ghassan Duhine.
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Nabahin is from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. [2] He joined the Sinai Province branch of the Islamic State (IS) in the mid-2010s, and was reportedly involved in the Sinai insurgency and the killing of civilians. [3] [2] In 2015, Hamas identified Nabahin as an IS militant and a suspect in a bombing of Hamas vehicles. In 2016, Egyptian intelligence also identified him as an IS militant. [1] Nabahin evaded capture from both Hamas and Egypt. [3]
In 2023, Nabahin returned to Gaza and was documented launching rockets at Israel independently from Hamas. He was sentenced to death by Hamas but managed to escape prison on 7 October, the day the Gaza war began. [2]
Hassan Abu Shabab, a Popular Forces commander and relative of Yasser Abu Shabab, says that Nabahin "broke from terrorism" and joined the Popular Forces when the group was formed in May 2024. [1] By June 2025, when Israeli support for the group was first revealed, Nabahin was identified as one of the "key figures in Abu Shabab's inner circle". [3]
On 9 June 2025, Hamas forces ambushed a car transporting Nabahin, capturing him. After his capture, Hamas charged him with espionage and murder. [4] [5] Two days later, per Hamas-linked media, an Israeli drone bombed Nabahin's detention cell and his fate was reported to be "unclear". Then, on 18 June, he posted a video on Facebook confirming he was alive and heading to southern Gaza. By August, Nabahin was back in Popular Forces-controlled eastern Rafah. [1]