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Ad Hoc Studies

The Al-Aqsa Flood Pioneers A new youth movement established by Hamas in Lebanon to attack Israel

On December 4, 2023, the Hamas movement announced the establishment of a new youth movement in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon called the Al-Aqsa Flood Pioneers, which will constitute, a "vanguard resistance force which will take part in the liberation of Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque." The movement will serve as an organizational framework for ideological recruitment and will train young Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon preparing them to be Hamas terrorist operatives who will attack Israel from the Lebanese borde.In the wake of reservations from many people in Lebanon, regarding the establishment of the movement, Hamas tried to minimize its importance and represent it as an "ideological," non-militant social movement. Hamas announced the youth movement's establishment without coordinating with the Lebanese authorities. For Hezbollah, the movement will provide an additional reservoir of Sunni terrorist operatives who can be recruited to fight against Israel and will give it a further grip on the Palestinian refugee camps.
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Photojournalists in the service of Hamas in the Gaza Strip

Hamas operates affiliated media outlets in the Gaza Strip, along with an array of prominent correspondents whose professional activities are used to convey messages and reports to the residents and others in the Gaza Strip and abroad. Some, such as Hassan Aslih, Ashraf Abu Amra, Anas al-Sharif work independently and others, such as Islam Badr and Hani al-Sha'er work for foreign media outlets as well as for Hamas.This report analyzes a group of five of the most prominent journalists currently working in Gaza. They enjoy extensive media exposure, are known in the streets of Gaza and are followed by many on their social media. They also have personal relations with the Hamas leadership and are invited to cover special events such as conferences, rallies, demonstrations and weapons displays. They also enjoy benefits, apparently provided by the Hamas government, such as first-class flights to the hajj in Saudi Arabia and expensive medical treatment abroad.
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The organizations leading the pro-Hamas demonstrations in Britain since the outbreak of Operation Iron Swords

The Hamas movement does not have an official presence in the UK, but over the years affiliated institutions, associations and charity funds have been established, mainly camouflaged as Muslim Brotherhood activities or as organizations "supporting Palestinian rights." Key Hamas operatives are also based in Britain, led by Muhammad Sawalha, a former member of Hamas' political bureau who helped establish Hamas headquarters in Judea and Samaria.Since Hamas' terrorist attack and massacre in Israel on October 7 and the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, mass pro-Palestinian demonstrations against Israel have been taking place across the UK, where along with the calls for a ceasefire, the slogans "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" and "Globalize the anti-intifada" are chanted. The protest is jointly organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Palestinian Forum in Britain, all longtime pro-Palestinian groups that participate in Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaigns against the State of Israel and have clearly anti-Semitic positions. Even though Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization in the UK, the pro-Palestinian organizations publicly expressed support for the October 7 attack and massacre and later for the "armed resistance" [i.e. violence and terrorism] against Israel.
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Military-Terrorist Activities of the Houthis in Yemen during Operation Iron Swords

Since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, the Houthi movement in Yemen has intensified its on against the State of Israel and on vessels sailing in the Red Sea near the coast of Yemen, launching 13 missiles and 34 UAVs, and attacking at least nine ships in the Red Sea area. The Houthis claim that the attacks are in response to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip and they will only stop when Israel stops attacking. For Iran, using the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, Syria and Yemen as proxies for another level of escalation, on the one hand, expresses its commitment to the concept of "uniting the arenas," especially in view of the Israeli ground attack in the Gaza Strip, and on the other, relieves it of the necessity of involving Hezbollah in an all-out confrontation with Israel, which could exact a heavy price from the organization and possibly from Iran itself .So far Iran has hidden its involvement in the Houthi attacks.
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Public opinion poll finds Palestinians in the West Bank more satisfied about Hamas’ activity than Palestinians in the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research published the results of survey conducted in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip in the midst of the war. The survey findings indicates a fundamental difference between the attitudes of the residents of the West Bank and those of the residents of the Gaza Strip and a completely different perception of reality. The survey findings also indicate broad public support for the October 7 Hamas attack, but the vast majority deny that Hamas committed atrocities against Israeli civilians.
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The hostilities in south Lebanon have driven tens of thousands of local residents to flee to the northern areas

Hezbollah joined the fighting against Israel on October 8, 2023, the day after Operation Iron Swords began, and opened a front on Israel's northern border, In the wake of the tense situation and the fear of escalation, residents of villages and towns in south Lebanon began to move to northern areas, noteworthy because Hezbollah usually places its posts and bases in or near civilian settlements. According to current estimates, between 20,000 and 60,000 Lebanese have left their homes for the north and the number may be higher. Some of them left on their own initiative and some following orders from Hezbollah. As long as the situation in south Lebanon remains tense and people fear escalation, it is more likely that most of the displaced civilians will not return to their homes. Such a situation will have serious long-term economic consequences, primarily on those who earn their living from agriculture and on Lebanon's economy as well, which is in the throes of a deep economic crisis.
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