The anti-Hamas Abu Shabab militia affirmed that they have no intentions of leaving their positions in Rafah despite the announcement of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, the group told Ynet on Thursday.
The militia told Ynet that they welcomed the ceasefire announcement, but will "continue to defend their lands."
The group affirmed that they have no intention of leaving the Gaza Strip.
Militia members also told Ynet their vision for Gaza's future includes turning the area into "a safe place with a future and hope for the new generation, without terrorist organizations, without unnecessary weapons and without wars."
Ghassan Duhine, deputy head of the militia, wished the Jewish people a happy New Year in a social media post on Sunday. The post included a handwritten note in Hebrew, seen by The Jerusalem Post.
Hussam al-Astal, another official from the Abu Shabab militia, told KAN on Friday that "We are trying to be an alternative to Hamas. They commit to psychological warfare; they will not succeed in harming us, and they will use all their power to prove that there is no other option in the Strip but them. We will confront them and are ready to fight them, and God willing, we will win, we have the power for that."
IDF to withdraw from Gaza, military says it will not stop striking until deal in effect
This comes after US President Donald Trump announced early on Thursday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
After the deal was announced, the IDF began preparing to shift its deployment lines in Gaza. The Post previously reported Israel had reached a full agreement on the maps detailing the military's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
However, the IDF said that it welcomed Israel and Hamas's agreement on a Gaza deal, but noted that the military would remain "be ready for any scenario," in a statement.
"The IDF welcomes the reaching of an agreement for the return of the hostages, which was signed last night," the statement said. "During a situation assessment held last night, the Chief of Staff instructed all forces on all fronts to prepare strong defensive measures and be ready for any scenario."
However, an official military source told Walla: “At this stage, there is no ceasefire until instructions are issued by the political leadership.”
The Gaza plan was signed at noon in Egypt, and will come into effect after the Israeli government ratifies it in a vote set for 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Twenty living hostages are expected to be released within 72 hours of the deal taking effect. Additionally, Arab reports indicated that Hamas had begun collecting the remains of deceased hostages to return to Israel.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took to X/Twitter to affirm that he would vote against the ceasefire deal during the cabinet meeting that afternoon.