Still from a video posted online on October 11, 2025, on a social media account belonging to militia leader Yasser Abu Shabad (right) with his deputy, Ghassan Duhine, in the Gaza Strip, inside a vehicle imported from Israel. SCREENSHOT OF AN ACCOUNT BELONGING TO YASSER ABU SHABAD.
Nearly two years ago, on December 7, 2023, the war triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel gave Hussam al-Astal a second chance at life. The former noncommissioned officer from the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, sentenced to death by the Islamist movement, was awaiting execution in the Asda prison, a sprawling ochre concrete complex whose highest windows overlook a faded amusement park and the sea to the south of the enclave. Hamas had accused him of having assassinated one of their own, an engineer, acting on orders from Israel.
In late fall 2023, Asda's guards fled under Israeli bombardment, taking most of their prisoners with them. Al-Astal said he broke out of his cell three days later. Reached by phone in Gaza – where Israel prohibits foreign press from entering – he relished his luck. At 50, he has regained weight and rediscovered his sense of humor. He has become a warlord.
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