Military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization
The Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades (EQB )[12] [note 1] (Arabic : كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام , romanized : Katāib al-Shahīd 'izz al-Dīn al-Qassām , lit. 'Battalions of martyr Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam'), named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam , is the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist organization Hamas .[13] [15] [16] Currently led by Mohammed Deif , EQB is the largest and best-equipped militant group operating within Gaza today.[13]
Created in mid-1991,[17] it was at the time concerned with blocking the Oslo Accords negotiations.[18] [19] From 1994 to 2000, the Al-Qassam Brigades has claimed responsibility for carrying out a number of attacks against Israelis .[13]
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.[20] [21]
The Al-Qassam Brigades are explicitly listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union ,[22] Australia ,[23] New Zealand ,[24] Egypt ,[25] and the United Kingdom .[26] [27] Though not explicitly mentioning EQB, the United States [28] [29] and Canada [30] have designated its parent entity, Hamas, as a terrorist organization;[31] Brigade leader Mohammed Deif is classified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US under Executive Order 13224 .[32] [33] As the Brigades undertake military activity on behalf of Hamas, "organized terrorist activities associated with Hamas can be reliably attributed to the Brigades."[23]
^ * "Understanding Islamism" Archived 7 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine . Crisis Group Middle East/North Africa Report N°37, 2 March 2005.
^
Islamic fundamentalism in the West Bank and Gaza: Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Jihad , by Ziyād Abū 'Amr , Indiana University Press, 1994, pp. 66–72
Anti-Semitic Motifs in the Ideology of Hizballah and Hamas , Esther Webman, Project for the Study of Anti-Semitism, 1994. ISBN 978-965-222-592-4
^ (IISS), International Institute for Strategic Studies (14 February 2018). The Military Balance, 2018, Vol. 118, No. 1, February 2018 . Routledge. ISBN 9781857439557 .
^ (in French) Christian Chesnot, Michel Goya : "Militairement, le Hamas monte en gamme depuis 2010" , France Culture , 18 May 2021.
^ Tollast, Robert; Oweis, Khaled Yacoub (15 November 2023). "Who are Hamas's allies in Gaza? From Islamic Jihad to Marxist militants" . The National . Retrieved 17 December 2023 .
^ a b "Exclusive: Hamas Official Discusses Decline of Iranian Support" . موقع الدكتور عدنان ابو عامر . Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2020 .
^ "On Sanctioning of Four Financial Facilitators for Hamas – United States Department of State" . Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020 .
^ Hussein Abou Saleh (2 November 2023). "Iran's 'axis of resistance': how Hamas and Tehran are attempting to galvanise their allies against Israel" . The Conversation. Retrieved 14 November 2023 .
^ "Evidence shows Hamas militants likely used some North Korean weapons in attack on Israel" . Associated Press . 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023 .
^ "Hamas arrests Salafi sheikh in Gaza over IS ties" . Agence France-Presse . Retrieved 6 April 2015 .
^ AFP. "Hamas arrests Salafi sheikh over alleged Islamic State ties - Radical cleric Adnan Khader Mayat detained on Sunday by Gaza security forces" . Times of Israel . Retrieved 9 November 2023 .
^ Cite error: The named reference Ezzedeen
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ a b c d "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB) – Hamas ." Mapping Palestinian Politics . European Council on Foreign Relations . Retrieved 2021 May 20.
^ "Top Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades commander among Hamas leaders killed in fighting" . Al Arabiya English . 26 November 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
^ "Al-Quds Brigades says it targets Israeli cities" . www.aa.com.tr . Retrieved 20 May 2021 .
^ "Hamas: The Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza" . BBC News . 13 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021 .
^ "About Us" . Al-Qassam Brigades Information Office . Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014 .
^ Cleveland, William L. (1999). A history of the modern Middle East . Westview Press. p. 494 . ISBN 978-0-8133-3489-9 . Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2019 .
^ Schanzer, Jonathan (2003). "The Challenge of Hamas to Fatah" . The Middle East Quarterly . Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014 .
^ Beaumont, Peter (13 February 2017). "Hamas elects hardliner Yahya Sinwar as its Gaza Strip chief" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 13 February 2017.
^ Balousha, Hazam; Booth, William (13 February 2017). "Hamas names hard-liner as its new political leader in Gaza" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018 .
^ Implementing Article 2(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 on specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism and repealing Decision 2005/848/EC (Council Decision). OJEU . Vol. L 340. Council of the European Union (published 23 December 2005). 21 December 2005. 2005/930/EC . Retrieved 26 April 2024 .
^ a b Cite error: The named reference AU
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ "Lists associated with Resolution 1373" . New Zealand Police. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2014 .
^ "La branche armée du Hamas palestinien déclarée "terroriste" en Egypte" . rts.ch . 31 January 2015.
^ "Proscribed Organisations" . Terrorism Act 2000 (sched. 2). UK Public General Acts. Vol. 2000 c. 11. 20 July 2000. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2018 .
^ "Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations" . GOV.UK . Retrieved 20 May 2021 .
^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" . United States Department of State . Retrieved 20 May 2021 .
^ "Country Reports on Terrorism 2004" (PDF) . U.S. State Department. April 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2014 .
^ "Al-Qassam Brigades | Database ." Jihad Intel . Middle East Forum . Retrieved 2021 May 20.
^ "Currently listed entities" . www.publicsafety.gc.ca . 21 December 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2021 .
^ "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List ." U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2021 May 20. Retrieved 2021 May 20.
^ "Executive Order 13224" . United States Department of State . Retrieved 20 May 2021 .
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