Last May, Palestinian militias started hundreds of them Rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory Protesting the death of a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike. Normally, one would assume that the person responsible is Hamas, the Palestinian group that has de facto ruled the region since 2007. However, in this case, the Islamist militias chose not to take up arms. The soldier’s reaction was as follows: Palestinian Islamic JihadIn reality, it is a group with six years more experience than the all-powerful Hamas. His name is now back in the headlines after Israel accused Islamic Jihad of the massacre at Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza; The militia publicly denies these accusations. Who’s that Second largest militant group in Gaza? Below are some keys to this armed group.
For those who are disappointed
Islamic Jihad was born in the early 1980s. Fethi Shikaki And Abdulaziz Odeh They created this in an attempt to attract those who were disappointed. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Arafat. After the First Intifada, Jihad sided with Hamas. rejection of peace talks and its ultimate goal is to destroy Israel. However, although they have many common points, Jihad differs from the militias ruling Gaza in different ways. indifference to politics. Their resistance is solely military. So, according to 2021 CIA estimates, they have between 1,000 and several thousand armed men. They also have a important arsenal Rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles. Islamic Jihad does not disclose such information.
financed by Iran
According to Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, Iranian For years, it has sent rockets, anti-tank weapons and mortars to the two main militia groups in the Gaza Strip. Jihad has headquarters abroad Beirut And SamIn return, they receive tens of millions of dollars from their Iranian allies. Although Hamas cut ties with Tehran for a while due to its support for the president beshar Esad in bloody civil war SyriaIslamic Jihad has also strengthened ties with the Ayatollah regime, Israel’s arch-enemy in the Middle East.
Strained relations with Hamas
Although the largest Palestinian militia has supported Jihad in its military response to the Israeli offensive, Hamas is also trying to keep its fighters under control. It was Islamic Jihad that confronted Israel militarily in August 2022. By focusing on military resistance, Israel has much less to lose in conflicts against the Jewish State. Hamas, on the other hand, is trying to protect the well-being of 2 million Gazans living in poverty in the “world’s largest open-air prison” and has so far chosen to avoid violence as much as possible to achieve this. . So the Palestinians of Gaza did not lose. work permit They had to rebuild their homes inside Israel or without assistance. In this way, Hamas was not risking its ally’s cash flow. Taste. During the May offensive, Hamas formed the Palestinian Resistance Groups Operation Common Room along with Jihad to ensure that any decision on war or ceasefire with Israel would be made by Israel. compromiserather than a single group.
Purpose: Destroy Israel
More than forty years have passed since its founding, but the Palestinian Islamic Jihad maintains faith in its original mission. Born resisting israelprominently displayed Occupied West BankAlthough its biggest presence remains in Gaza. This was exactly where the Israeli army wanted to harm him. targeted killings senior officials and bombings on their infrastructure. These militias and Hamas terrorist groups by the Jewish State, the United States and European countries.