Israel intercepted a Houthi missile that was fired at Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Israel props up Yasser Abu Shabab, a 30-year-old Bedouin, to replace Hamas in Gaza.
By Rachel Avraham
At 9:47pm, the bomb sirens were sounded in Abu Ghosh, Beit Shemesh, Beitar Illit, Efrat, Ein Geddi, Hebron, Jerusalem, Kiryat Arba, Mini Israel, Modiin, Modiin Illit, and other areas in Greater Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. Arutz Sheva reported that the missile was successfully intercepted.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the sirens sounded in accordance with protocol. According to the report, there were no reports of injuries. Earlier in the week, the IDF intercepted an additional missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen, the Jerusalem Post noted. According to the report, parts of the interception fell in the Jerusalem area, specifically in the southern parts of the city.
The Jerusalem Post added that the Jerusalem District Police bomb disposal units operated at the sites where debris was located to prevent harm to civilians. According to the report, no reports of casualties or property damage were received.
As the Houthis continue to fire on Israeli civilian areas, the State of Israel has started to work on the ground in Gaza in order to create an alternative governing structure to both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, one which cooperates with Israel rather than oppose the Jewish state’s existence. Israel has done this by starting to back Gazan clans, especially Yasser Abu Shabab, a 30-year-old Bedouin from the Tarabin Tribe, one of the largest clans in Gaza, Israel Hayom reported.
Abu Shabab was previously imprisoned by Hamas. According to Hamas-linked sources, he escaped during an Israeli Air Force strike earlier in the war. Israel Hayom reported that he now commands a force estimated between 100 and 300 gunmen. Hamas is infuriated and has started to launch a campaign against Abu Shabab. However, a spokesman for Abu Shabab’s group declared that this “only strengthened our resolve.”
According to them, “The de facto government [Hamas], which lost its legitimacy in protests attended by hundreds, does not want to see any area liberated. It wants to continue looting humanitarian supplies in the name of the people, conduct that has brought ruin and destruction. Today, we declare that a broad area in eastern Rafah has been cleared. Hundreds of families who support our vision now live there. We have secured international aid for the residents.”
In an audio recording, Abu Shabab urged families in eastern Rafah to return home safely: “Medicine, food, adequate housing, and security have been provided. The ‘popular forces’ were established to defend our people from the oppression and terror of the de facto government, to counter chaos, corruption, hunger, murders, threats, and organized looting. Even after the surge in resistance to its rule, the de facto government still seeks to control and trade humanitarian aid on the black market. We have taken it upon ourselves to confront these acts.” A source in Gaza told Israel Hayom that these developments are “a highly significant shift that could attract many local residents.”
