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Hamas

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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Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 28, 2023)

he IDF forces continued to attack terrorist targets in a number of central locations in the Gaza Strip, among them Daraj and Tufah in the northern Gaza Strip, the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. In Rantisi Hospital in Gaza City, the IDF completed the destruction of the underground tunnel complex. The Palestinians reported that the IDF's ground maneuver in the central Gaza Strip focused on the Juhor al-Dik area (Wadi Gaza) and the al-Bureij refugee camp. Hamas' military-terrorist wing announced it was using "new weapons”. According to an unofficial estimate, since October 7 approximately 1,300 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed, 501 of them soldiers and officers; 129 civilian and military hostages are still being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, 16 of them women and children; 121 hostages have been returned to Israel. The preoccupation with "the day after" continues. Hamas informed Egypt that a situation in which Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) would not be part of the leadership of the Gaza Strip after the war was unrealistic. Hamas denied reports in the French newspaper Le Figaro stating that half an hour before the start of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, they updated Hezbollah. Hezbollah accepted responsibility for three attacks. A barrage of about 30 rockets was launched at Kiryat Shmona. Three hostile aircraft crossed from Lebanon and fell in the area of Mount Dov.Israeli security forces conducted an extensive operation to confiscate funds intended to finance terrorism and detained suspects for helping to finance Hamas.The Islamic Resistance Front in Iraq claimed responsibility for attacking a vital target in the Golan Heights.
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Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 27, 2023)

The IDF forces continued to attack terrorist targets, terrorist groups and military facilities in the Gaza Strip focusing on the Daraj and Tufah neighborhoods of Gaza City and the refugee camps in central Gaza, and in Khan Yunis in the south. The Palestinians reported intense IDF artillery fire targeting east al-Bureij and al-Maghazi, shelling targeting east Khan Yunis, and attacks in Jabalia and Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and in east Gaza City. A three-phase updated Egyptian proposal has been published which includes a ceasefire, the return of the hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) reiterated that there was nothing new in the proposal. According to reports, Egyptian officials are working to settle "the day after" and are in contact with the Hamas leadership "abroad." Hezbollah claimed responsibility for nine attacks. An anti-tank missile was fired at a church in the Christian village of Iqrit, injuring a civilian and several IDF soldiers. The heads of the Palestinian Authority are dealing with "the day after." Iranian leaders continued commenting on the killing of Seyyed Razi Moussavi and threatened Israel with a harsh response. An Israeli Air Force fighter jet intercepted a hostile air target in the Red Sea area en route to Israeli territory.
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Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 26, 2023)

The ground, sea, and air forces continued to attack terrorist targets, terrorist cells and military sites in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians reported intense attacks in the Jabalia area, the center of Khan Yunis and Rafah, adding that the IDF had completed splitting the Strip According to a report, an ISIS operative who participated in the October 7 attack and massacre was reported killed by the IDF in Rafah. A commission of UN agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations and civilian social organizations published a comprehensive report regarding the food crisis in the Gaza Strip. The contents of a letter from Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, to the Hamas political bureau were revealed. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for ten attacks. Hamas' military-terrorist wing claimed responsibility for firing rockets at the Western Galilee.. At the meeting of the PLO Executive Committee, Mahmoud Abbas said the war had to be brought to a complete, permanent halt, all humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip had to be met and Israel's plan to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip had to be blocked. Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force operative, was killed in the Damascus area in an attack attributed to Israel. Iranian officials threatened to avenge his death.
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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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Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 25, 2023)

The IDF land, sea, and air forces continued their integrated ground maneuver. In the northern Gaza Strip the forces gained operational hold over the Jabaliya refugee camp, one of Hamas' most important strongholds. In Gaza City the fighting focused on the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. In the southern Gaza Strip fighting continued in Khan Yunis. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) reiterated that no negotiations would begin before a ceasefire and there would be no temporary ceasefires, only a total end to the fighting and a comprehensive exchange deal. According to the Palestinian social media, a boy who was trying to reach a truck carrying humanitarian aid was shot and killed by the Hamas police in Rafah. A PIJ delegation arrived for talks in Cairo. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for four attacks during the past day..The Palestinians reported the entry of a large Israeli security force into the Jenin refugee camp, along with heavy exchanges of fire with "armed Palestinians" [terrorist operatives].
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Hamas

Hamas is a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim organization founded in the Gaza Strip in 1987 by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It seeks to establish an Islamic state on the entire territory of the State of Israel and does not recognize Israel’s right to exist.


The Hamas leadership has two branches: the internal leadership, which includes the military wing and the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, responsible for the day-to-day activities of governing the Gaza Strip population, in addition to social, educational activity vis-à-vis the population of the Gaza Strip; and the external leadership, Hamas’s political bureau, located beyond the borders of the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria. The external leadership maintains relations with various countries and bodies, and deals mainly with raising money and finding other resources for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.


Hamas’s ideology seeks to establish an Islamic Palestinian state on the entire territory of Israel. The preferred way to achieve this goal is through armed struggle. Hamas has a military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which carries out terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and various kinds of other attacks (such as shooting, suicide bombings, abductions etc.) in the territories of Judea, Samaria and Israel.


Over the years, Hamas has challenged the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, causing conflicts between the sides, culminating in June 2007 with Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the suppression of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority members. Ever since, the rift between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has grown.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including Israel, the United States, and the European Union.