Al-Bayuk (, also spelled al-Buyuk) is a Palestinian village in the eastern Rafah Governorate located in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), it had a population of 5,648 in 2006.Projected Mid -Year Population for Rafah Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006 . Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). The village has become the de facto capital of the Palestinian anti-Hamas armed group the Popular Forces backed by Israel.
Prior to the 2024 invasion of Rafah, the neighborhood housed more than 20,000 people.
History Al Bayuk is a small village on the southeastern edge of Rafah, Gaza, historically home to around 5,600 residents. Long overlooked politically, it gained prominence during the Gaza war when the Popular Forces, a clan-based militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab, established control over parts of Al Bayuk, turning it into their operational hub. Backed by Israel, the group used the village’s location near the Kerem Shalom border crossing to control aid routes and expand into Khan Yunis,Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran and now functions as the de facto headquarters for the group.
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