Shuja'iyya Popular Defense Forces administration in the Gaza Strip

Shuja'iyya Popular Defense Forces administration in the Gaza Strip
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Shuja'iyya Popular Defense Forces
Status	self-proclaimed rival administration under Israeli occupation [1]
Capital	Shuja'iyya, Gaza City
Government
• Leader	Rami Khalas
• Leader	Ahmed Jundeya [2]
Establishment	Gaza war
History
• Established	2025
Population
• 2025 estimate	~500

During the Gaza war the Shuja'iyya Popular Defense Forces (SPDF), an Israeli-backed anti-Hamas militant group seized parts of Gaza City, where the group provides humanitarian services to around 500 Palestinians.

Background

Main article: Societal breakdown in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war

During the Gaza war, societal breakdown across the Gaza Strip caused by offensives by the Israel Defense Forces on Palestinian law enforcement institutions as well as starvation, famine, and lack of supplies created by the conflict has led to the rise of anti-Hamas armed groups in the Gaza Strip. ^{[3] [4]}

Territorial control and administration

Within the Israeli-controlled side of the Yellow Line, the SPDF is based in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, ^[5] and is also active in nearby Zeitoun and Tuffah. ^[6] Leader of the SPDF, Rami Khalas claims to have 500 people within his territory as of November 2025. ^[7]

According to Rami Khalas, the group provides humanitarian services in Shuja'iyya and allegedly coordinates with the Palestinian Authority (PA). ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. "Clans and armed groups challenging Hamas in Gaza". Reuters. 14 October 2025.
2. "Clans and armed groups challenging Hamas in Gaza". Reuters. 14 October 2025.
3. "UN rights office says 'anarchy' spreading in Gaza". Reuters. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
4. Sunghay, Ajith (19 July 2024). "Observations from Gaza by Head of UN Human Rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Ajith Sunghay". UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
5. "Explainer: Who are the Israeli-backed armed groups challenging Hamas in Gaza?". BBC Monitoring. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
6. "Profiles of anti-Hamas militias in the Gaza Strip". Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 2025-10-19. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
7. "BBC Monitoring – Essential Media Insight". monitoring.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
8. Yohanan, Nurit (2025-10-30). "Left out of Trump's technocratic vision, anti-Hamas militias seek role in rebuilt Gaza". The Times of Israel. ISSN   0040-7909 . Retrieved 2025-11-26.
9. "Explainer: Who are the Israeli-backed armed groups challenging Hamas in Gaza?". BBC Monitoring. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-26.