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Issam Nabahin
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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 led by Yasser Abu Shabab.
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]
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