Muhammad Shabana

Muhammad Shabaneh (Arabic: محمد شبانة), also known by his nickname Abu Anas (Arabic: أبو أنس شبانة), is the commander of the Rafah Brigade in the military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Under his command were about four battalions.^[1][2]

It was reported that Shabaneh had a large extended family in Sinai, Egypt. In leaflets dropped by the IDF in Gaza in November 2023, a bounty of $500,000 was offered for his capture.^[3]

Biography

Hamas

Even before his appointment as commander of the Rafah Brigade, during Operation Cast Lead on December 31, 2008, according to Palestinian reports, the IDF attacked his home in the Shabora neighborhood in Rafah, but Shabaneh was not injured.^[4]

After the death of Raed al-Attar during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Shabaneh was appointed to replace him as the commander of the Rafah Brigade.^[5] During Operation Guardian of the Walls, on May 13, 2021, the IDF bombed his home in Rafah, but Shabaneh was not harmed.^[6]

During the Israel-Hamas War

In the first two days following Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, two of Shabaneh's sons, Abd al-Nasser and Mahmoud, who were members of the Nukhba Force of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, were killed.^[7]

According to Palestinian reports, on December 20, 2023, the IDF attempted to kill him by attacking the Shabaneh family home in eastern Rafah, but Mohammad Shabaneh survived unharmed.

His eldest son, Anas, was also killed on May 18, 2024, in battles with the IDF in the Al-Tannur neighborhood of Rafah.^[8]

On May 24, 2024, another assassination attempt was made when a tunnel containing an underground complex where he was believed to be hiding was attacked, but Shabaneh survived.^[1][9]

References

1. "إعلام إسرائيلي: الجيش يخفق في اغتيال قائد لواء رفح محمد شبانة". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-10-17.
2. "Postman helped IDF assassinate Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, Arab report claims". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
3. "x.com".
4. "מבצע "עופרת יצוקה" – עדכון מס' 5". מרכז המידע למודיעין ולטרור על שם אלוף מאיר עמית (in Hebrew). 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
5. לוי, אליאור (2016-07-10). "פחות רקטות, יותר מנהרות: חמאס מתכונן לצוק איתן 2". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-10-17.
6. "x.com".
7. "בניו מחבלי נוח'בה שנהרגו, הוא ניצל מניסיונות חיסול: זה מח"ט רפיח שהיה היעד לתקיפות בעיר". www.israelhayom.co.il. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
8. "דיווחים בעזה על חיסולו של אנס שבאנה, בנו של מפקד חטיבת רפיח בחמאס, מוחמד שבאנה".
9. יהושוע, יוסי; זיתון, יואב; חלבי, עינב (2024-05-24). "דיווח: ניסיון לחסל את מח"ט חמאס ברפיח - דקות לאחר הפסיקה בהאג". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-10-17.