A number of Islamist groups opposed to Hamas have had a presence in the Gaza Strip, an exclave of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. These groups began appearing in the Gaza Strip in the months leading up to and following the Israeli disengagement from the region in 2005 and have maintained a presence even after the 2007 Battle of Gaza, when Hamas wrestled control of the Gaza Strip from its rival Fatah, establishing its own de facto government in the area.[1]
Hamas is itself also an Islamist organization.[2] Nonetheless, these rival groups have rejected Hamas' adherence to Palestinian nationalism and its participation in Palestinian elections, instead following a hardline Salafi jihadist ideology which condemns nationalism and participation in non-Sharia political systems.
Most of these groups appear to have peaked in activity around the late 2000s and early to mid 2010s, and several of them participated as well in the Sinai insurgency in Egypt (2011-2023). Today, they hold only a marginal presence in the Gaza Strip and have been described as being "held in a choke-hold" by Hamas.[3]
Besides several documented groups, there have been a number of smaller, loosely affiliated cells that adopt a variety of front names to perpetrate attacks. Many terror attacks in Gaza, such as the 2007 killing of the Gazan Christian Rami Ayyad and the destruction of Crazy Water Park in 2010 were carried out by anonymous cells.
The Salafi jihadist groups in the Gaza Strip have several general points of unity:
Salafism was first introduced into the Gaza Strip in the 1970s by Palestinian students who had returned from studying abroad at religious schools in Saudi Arabia.[6] The early movement was seen as helping Saudi efforts to propagate Wahhabism (which is often seen as a subset of Salafism[7] [8]) and counter the Iranian Shia Islam of Ruhollah Khomeini. According to journalist Jared Maslin, a number of Salafi groups in the Gaza Strip continue to receive support and funding from the Saudi government today.
The first documented Salafi organization in the Gaza Strip was "Dar al-Kitab wa-al-Sunna" (House of the Book and Sunnah), established in 1975 by Sheikh Yasin al-Astal, which was non-violent and focused on preaching and education. During this time, Gazan Salafis distanced themselves from Palestinian politics and the struggle against Israel. Many Palestinians distrusted them, and as a result they were sometimes marginalized and isolated.
The integration of jihadist ideology into Gazan Salafism began in the 2000s, and appears to have correlated with similar radicalization processes in the Sinai; the first reports on "violent Salafis" date to this period as well.[9] [10] After a period of stagnation, a number of Salafi jihadist groups began to appear in 2005 as Israel prepared for its disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
More groups formed around 2007 in reaction to Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip.[11]
| Army of Islam جَيش الإسلام Jaysh al-Islām | |
| Dates: | 2005–present |
| Clans: | Dogmush clan |
| Motives: | The creation of an Islamic state in Palestine, and the restoration of the caliphate |
| Area: | Gaza Strip, Egypt, Syria |
| Ideology: | Salafism Jihadism Sunni Islamism |
| Opponents: |  Israel |
See main article: Army of Islam (Gaza).
See also: Dogmush clan and Fayeq Al-Mabhouh.
Jaysh al-Islam ("The Army of Islam") was founded in late 2005[12] by the Dogmush clan, a Gazan criminal family.[13] It was initially close to Hamas, and they participated together in the kidnapping of Israeli Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. The group also carried out the kidnapping of two Fox News journalists in 2006.
The Army of Islam began to turn against Hamas in the months preceding the latter's takeover of Gaza, and organized the kidnapping of British journalist Alan Johnston in March 2007[14] with the likely intention of embarrassing Hamas. After it seized power in June 2007, Hamas was able to secure Johnston's release,[15] and subsequently began to suppress the Army of Islam's activities, which nonetheless continued sporadically and included attacks on co-ed schools, local Christians, and a YMCA building.
Egyptian authorities stated that the January 2011 Alexandria bombing was carried out by the Army of Islam.[16] [17] [18] [19] The attack, which targeted Coptic Christians, was the deadliest act of violence against the community in a decade, since the Kosheh massacre in 2000 which left 20 Copts dead.[20]
The group participated in the Sinai insurgency[21] alongside Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, and smuggled members into the Gaza Strip for training, later sending them back to the Sinai Peninsula to carry out attacks.[22] Army of Islam members linked to the August 2012 Sinai attack have reportedly sought refuge in the Gaza Strip.
In a 2019 interview, the Army of Islam condemned Hamas as an "apostate" group.[23]
The group may have completely collapsed as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war (2023–present), on account of the Dogmush clan appearing to have been nearly wiped out by Israeli bombings,[24] [25] and Hamas reportedly executing their leader for stealing humanitarian aid.[26]
Jaysh al-Ummah ("The Army of the Ummah") formed in June 2007 and took credit for firing three rockets into Israel that month. Unlike other groups, it has avoided claiming responsibility for internal attacks inside Gaza and instead has focused on attacks on Israel. In January 2008 they declared their intent to assassinate American president George W. Bush and stressed their alignment with Al-Qaeda. Abu Hafs al-Maqdisi, the group's leader, condemned Hamas for not implementing Sharia law, and would end up temporarily detained by Hamas himself. Since then, the two groups have had a mutual hostility but refrain from openly fighting.
Jaysh al-Ummah nonetheless fought alongside Hamas in the 2012 Gaza conflict[27] and the 2014 Gaza War.[28] It claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on Israel in 2019[29] and also claimed to have taken part in the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, shooting rockets at Israeli targets.[30] [31] During the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the group reported that it attacked IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.[32]
| Swords of Truth Arabic: سيوف الحق Suyuf al-Haq | |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Other Name: | "Righteous Swords of Islam" or the "Swords of Islamic Righteousness" |
| Leader: | Abu Suheib al-Maqdisi |
| Area: | Gaza Strip, Palestine |
| Headquarters: | Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip |
| Ideology: |
|
| Attacks: | 2007 bombing of Gaza YMCA's library. |
, also known by their Arabic name (Arabic: سيوف الحق | Suyūf al-Ħaq | translation = The Swords of Truth or "The Swords of Righteousness"),[33] is or was a "veteran" group primarily concentrated in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. It is supposedly led by former Hamas cleric Abu Suheib al-Maqdisi, who left Hamas to protest its decision to take part in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections.
Suyuf al-Haq has organized attacks against targets they deem immoral or un-Islamic, such as internet cafes, claiming they blew up more than 50 "morally corrupted" businesses in 2007.[34] [35] The group has conducted an acid attack against a young woman dressed "provocatively", attacked a young man listening to music, and threatened Christians. In 2007, the group orchestrated the assassination of senior Palestinian intelligence officer Colonel Jed Tayya, whom it accused of being a Mossad agent. In June 2007, they issued a threat towards Gazan female television broadcasters, warning that they would "cut throats, and from vein to vein, if needed to protect the spirit and moral of this nation", demanding they cease wearing Western-style clothing and makeup. An unnamed Palestinian senior security official accused Hamas of funding the group, which Hamas denied.[36] [37]
is or was a group mainly known for its threats against Christians. Their leader, Abu Saqer, said in 2007 that Hamas "must work to impose an Islamic rule or it will lose the authority it has and the will of the people" and that Christians "must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza". The group demanded as well an end to Christian missionary activity in the Gaza Strip.[38] [39]
Jihadia Salafiya was also suspected of attacking a United Nations school in the region which hosted a co-ed sporting event.
See main article: Jund Ansar Allah.
See also: Islamic Emirate of Rafah and Battle of Rafah (2009).
Jund Ansar Allah ("The Army of God's Supporters") was a Rafah-based group that first surfaced in late 2008. In 2009 the group attempted an attack on the formerly existing Karni border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel.[40] [41] Jund Ansar Allah militants holed up in a building in Khan Yunis surrendered in a standoff with Hamas police in July 2009.[42] Hamas officials also blamed the group for the bombings of several internet cafes, and of a wedding party attended by relatives of the West Bank-based Fatah leader, Mohammed Dahlan, in which fifty people were injured. Jund Ansar Allah denied any responsibility for the latter attack, and Fatah leaders blamed Hamas.[43]
In August 2009, Jund Ansar Allah launched a revolt against Hamas, establishing the short-lived "Islamic Emirate of Rafah"; the rebellion was crushed by Hamas after a day of fighting, resulting in the group being virtually destroyed and its leaders killed.[44] [45] Remnants of the group did however claim responsibility for rocket attacks against Israel in October 2009 and March 2010.
See main article: article and Tawhid al-Jihad (Gaza Strip).
See also: Vittorio Arrigoni.
Jahafil Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad fi Filastin ("The Armies of Monotheism and Jihad in Palestine") emerged in 2008 and has been responsible for rocket attacks against Israel and attacks against Gazan Christians.[46] The group participated in the Sinai insurgency[47] alongside the Army of Islam and the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem. Notably, it kidnapped and murdered Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian peace activist who supported the Palestinian cause, in 2011. The group said that if their imprisoned leader Hesham al-Sa'eedni was not released by Hamas, they would execute Arrigoni. However, he was found dead well before the deadline; Hamas stormed the house where he was being held and successfully fought the abductors, but found him hanged.[48] The Los Angeles Times commented:
[T]he kidnapping raised questions about Hamas' control over Gaza, and it represents the latest example of how smaller, more radical groups in the territory—some with alleged ties to Al Qaeda—are challenging the rule of Hamas, which itself is viewed by Israel and the United States as a terrorist organization. Those groups complain that Hamas has become too moderate.[49]
Kataeb al-Tawhid ("the Monotheism Brigades") is the militant wing of Liwa al-Tawhid.[50] They were a group that emerged in 2009. It claimed a cadre of several hundred fighters and an expertise in “RPG rockets, kalashnikovs, explosive devices, and mines, but we are trained in everything, including martyrdom.” “Liwa al-Tawhid” is an extension of the “al-Tawhid and wal-Jihad Brigades” and “Jund Ansar Allah”.
See main article: Jaljalat.
Jaljalat ("Thunder") is or was a "loosely-structured" group aligned with Al-Qaeda and composed largely of former Hamas personnel. The group voiced its condemnation of Hamas and organized two bombing attacks against Hamas government buildings in August 2009 as revenge against the suppression of Jund Ansar Allah earlier that month.[51] In September 2009, Jaljalat revealed that it had attempted to assassinated former US president Jimmy Carter and former UK prime minister Tony Blair, but the plot had been foiled by Hamas.[51] Hamas captured the group's leader, Mahmoud Taleb, in October 2009.[52]
See main article: article and Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade.
The Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade surfaced in 2015 and is affiliated with the (so called) Islamic State.[53] The group was responsible for the Askhelon rocket attacks into Israel that year. Hamas raided the home of their leader Yunis Hunnar in June 2015; he was shot dead while resisting arrest.[54]
See main article: article and Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem.
The Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem was formed in 2011 or 2012 by Hisham Al-Saedni[55] and is linked to both Al-Qaeda[56] and the Islamic State.[57] It has carried out attacks against Israel and participated in the Sinai insurgency[58] with the Army of Islam and Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad. Hamas initiated a crackdown on the group in July 2013.[59]
The Lions of Monotheism was a group that firebombed five Christian churches in September 2006 in response to the controversy over Pope Benedict XVI's comments on Islam. While one of the church attacks occurred in the Gaza Strip, the other four were carried out in Nablus, in the West Bank. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was at that time prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, condemned the attacks.[60] [61]
The Free of the Homeland was a group which attacked and vandalized a children's summer camp run by the United Nations in May 2010. It accused the organization of promoting immorality in the Gaza Strip. Hamas condemned the attack.[62]
See main article: article and Masada al-Mujahideen. Masada al-Mujahideen was a group associated with Al-Qaeda[63] which was notable for its focus on starting forest fires with arson attacks. It clashed with Israel, Hamas, and even Jaysh al-Ummah in the early 2010s.[64] [65] [66] [67] It claimed responsibility for more than a dozen forest fires inside Israeli territory between 2010 and 2013.[68] The group even went so far as to claim they were behind forest fires in the United States in 2012 and 2013, namely in the states of Arizona and Nevada, but their claims were disproven by American officials.[69] [70] [71] [72]