A Gaza militia leader building a rival force to Hamas thanked President Donald Trump while warning that the terror group is using the ceasefire to rebuild its strength.
Shawqi Abu Nasira told Fox News Digital the pause in fighting has become a “kiss of life” for Hamas, allowing it to regroup and restore its operations across parts of the enclave.
“Hamas works for Iran,” Abu Nasira said. “They got weakened, yes, true, but the ceasefire, they gave them a kiss of life, and they are now preparing themselves better, trying to equip themselves. They are opening their own centers.” (RELATED: Hamas Reportedly Told US Officials Ceasefire Is ‘Over,’ And They Are ‘Ready To Fight’)
A former senior Palestinian Authority police official, Abu Nasira spent 16 years in an Israeli prison and now commands a small faction operating east of Gaza’s “yellow line” in territory controlled by the Israeli military.
“I moved to the east of a yellow line, to the area that is now [controlled by the] Israeli Army. I was forced to move because I had no other option but to flee Hamas,” he said.
🚨🇮🇱THE CEASEFIRE IS A SMOKESCREEN – HAMAS REGROUPS, HEZBOLLAH REARMS
The “peace” is really a ceasefire, and nobody’s under any illusions about Hamas changing its stripes.@CarolineGlick, International Affairs Advisor to Netanyahu, lays out the Trump plan’s 20-stage roadmap… https://t.co/En9knNtgwT pic.twitter.com/e8a7bA2kbO
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 27, 2025
He thanked Trump for freezing Hamas’ assets and taking action against the Muslim Brotherhood. The president recently moved to designate multiple chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.
“I’d like to thank President Trump for freezing the assets of Hamas and for labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization,” he told the outlet.
Abu Nasira broke from Hamas after the group killed his only son and dragged the body through Gaza, Fox reported, citing the pan-Arab news outlet Jusoor News.
His faction numbers only dozens of fighters, he said, and lacks resources.
“We lack a lot of equipment, and we need better assistance,” Abu Nasira said.
Still, he said public anger against Hamas continues to grow.
“People that are now living in tents, people that are starved, people that are living in the street. They have no medication. These people don’t want Hamas.”
Several small militias have appeared across Gaza with shifting alliances, including forces in Rafah, northern Gaza, Khan Yunis and eastern Gaza City. Abu Nasira said some remain in contact and are working toward joint action.
“We are coordinating all of these groups together to work under one political umbrella, and they can act as a National Guard for East Gaza,” he said.
Abu Nasira insisted Palestinians can challenge Hamas with outside support.
“We can now, as Palestinians, attack them,” he told the outlet. “We just need the support in order to win this war, and we can finish it in a few months.”
