Al-Qassam Brigades
Military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (abbreviated as IQB;[12][note 1] Arabic: كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام, romanized: Katāib al-Shahīd 'izz ad-Dīn al-Qassām [citation needed], lit. 'Battalions of martyr Izz ad-Din al-Qassam'; often shortened to Al-Qassam Brigades[13]), named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, is the military wing of the Palestinian organization Hamas.[12][14][15] Currently led by Mohammed Deif, IQB is the largest and best-equipped militant group operating within Gaza today.[12]
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام | |
---|---|
Leaders | Mohammed Deif |
Spokesman | Abu Obaida |
Dates of operation | 1991–present |
Headquarters | Gaza Strip |
Active regions | Palestine Israel Lebanon |
Ideology | Palestinian self-determination Sunni Islamism[1] Islamic fundamentalism[2] Palestinian nationalism |
Notable attacks | Mehola Junction bombing, Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing, Matza restaurant suicide bombing, Patt Junction bus bombing, Kiryat Menachem bus bombing, Operation Al-Aqsa Deluge |
Status | Active |
Size | 15,000–40,000[3][4] |
Part of | Hamas |
Allies | |
Opponents | |
Battles and wars | Israeli–Palestinian conflict |
Designated as a terrorist group by | IQB specifically:
Hamas as a whole: |
Website | www |
Created in mid-1991,[13] it was at the time concerned with blocking the Oslo Accords negotiations.[16][17] From 1994 to 2000, the Al-Qassam Brigades has claimed responsibility for carrying out a number of attacks against Israelis.[12]
At the beginning of the Second Intifada, the group became a central target of Israel. The Al-Qassam Brigades operated several cells in the West Bank. Most of them were destroyed by 2004, following numerous operations of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the region.[citation needed] In contrast, Hamas retained a forceful presence in the Gaza Strip, generally considered its stronghold. Yahya Sinwar, Hamas political leader in the Gaza Strip since February 2017, is a military leader in the Brigades in Gaza.[18][19]
The Al-Qassam Brigades are explicitly listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union,[20] Australia,[21] New Zealand,[22] Egypt,[23] and the United Kingdom.[24][25] Though not explicitly mentioning IQB, the United States[26][27] and Canada[28] have designated its parent entity, Hamas, as a terrorist organization;[29] Brigade leader Mohammed Deif is classified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US under Executive Order 13224.[30][31] As the Brigades undertake military activity on behalf of Hamas, "organized terrorist activities associated with Hamas can be reliably attributed to the Brigades."[21]