EXCLUSIVE FROM FOX: In the wake of a ceasefire that Hamas is using to regroup in Gaza, a few emerging Palestinian militias are striving to establish an alternative presence in the region. Shawqi Abu Nasira, a leader among these groups, shared with Fox News Digital that the halt in hostilities has provided a “lifeline” for Hamas, allowing the group to rebuild its strength.

“Hamas operates under Iran’s influence,” Abu Nasira stated. “Although they’ve been weakened, the ceasefire acts as a lifeline, enabling them to regroup and enhance their capabilities. They are setting up new centers,” he continued, expressing gratitude to President Trump for freezing Hamas assets and designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Abu Nasira, once a high-ranking official in the Palestinian Authority’s police force and a former prisoner of Israel for 16 years, now leads a small group of fighters in Gaza’s eastern region, under Israeli military jurisdiction. “I relocated to the east of the yellow line, an area now under Israeli Army control. I had no choice but to flee from Hamas,” he explained.

The pan-Arab media outlet, Jusoor News, which has recently launched an English channel focusing on Gaza, reports that Abu Nasira’s break from Hamas was precipitated by a personal tragedy. Years ago, Hamas killed his only son and publicly desecrated the body, an act that cemented his resolve against the group.

Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip on December 1, 2025. (Omar Al-Qatta / AFP via Getty Images)

Abu Nasira told Fox News Digital he acknowledged his own faction is small. “I have dozens of fighters now fighting with me,” he said. “We lack a lot of equipment, and we need better assistance.” But he argued that many Gazans share his view. “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.”

The ceasefire has exposed a chaotic landscape of militias, clan groups and local networks that have emerged as Hamas’s control weakened. Although none rival Hamas in size or capability, several factions have gained visibility.

These include the Popular Forces in Rafah, the Popular Army in northern Gaza, the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force in Khan Yunis and the Shujaiya Popular Defense Forces in eastern Gaza City, along with powerful clan-based networks such as the al-Majayda and Doghmosh families. Their alliances shift frequently, and their structure varies widely, but all have appeared or strengthened during the breakdown of centralized rule.

Overview of anti-Hamas militias and local armed groups active in Gaza.  (Jusoor News)

Abu Nasira said many of these groups are in contact. “They are our brothers and sisters,” he said. “All of these people, they are holding arms and fighting Hamas for a reason, because they were the first witness to Hamas terrorism and they are victims of Hamas.”

He said early efforts are underway to unite the factions. “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 argued that Palestinians, not outside powers, should be the ones to remove Hamas from Gaza. “We can now, as Palestinians, attack them,” he said. “We just need the support in order to win this war, and we can finish it in a few months.”

Shawqi Abu Nasira, an emerging anti-Hamas militia leader in Gaza.  (Jusoor News)

He rejected the idea that Gazans would fear being labeled collaborators. “Whenever you say no to Hamas, you are accused as an operator, or you will be executed,” he said. “Everybody in Gaza knows that, so that’s not going to scare us anymore.”

In a message to Americans, Abu Nasira said the stakes go beyond Gaza. “Fighting terror is a campaign that we all should fight against,” he said. “It can spread from Gaza to all over the world.”

He described Hamas as part of a broader network. “As long as the triangle of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Republic in Iran are working all together, that is a threat to the entire human, civilized world,” he said.

Hamas gathers in a show of strength during a parade by the terror group in Gaza on Jan. 25, 2025. (TPS-IL)

He dismissed the concept known as the “Disneyland strategy,” which envisions building functioning civilian zones east of the yellow line to inspire pressure against Hamas over time. “This is a good, nice talk, but this is a long term,” he said. “We don’t need to give them the time to get strong.”

As Hamas regains strength under the ceasefire, Abu Nasira said Palestinians “are ready” and “want to fight for our future,” insisting that with international backing, a unified alternative can still be built.