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Hamas

Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (December 18 – 25, 2024)

Senior Iranian figures continued to express recognition of the damage to the “axis of resistance” due to the revolution in Syria and the overthrow of the Assad regime, while demonstrating confidence in the ability of the axis to continue operating amid the new circumstances, especially due to the ability of Hezbollah and the other organizations to produce weapons on their own. Iran is reportedly considering smuggling weapons to Hezbollah via flights to Lebanon; The Iranian government spokeswoman said that consultations are underway on reopening the embassy in Damascus. The new Syrian regime denied having ties with Iran and announced its intention to sue Tehran for its damage to Syria; The Iranian president and foreign minister met with their counterparts from Egypt and Turkey and called for exerting pressure on Israel to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and the attacks in Lebanon and Syria; A commander of the armed factions in Jenin admitted that they were receiving assistance from Iran. A terrorist operative in Tulkarm who operated with Iranian funding was eliminated; The Houthis claimed responsibility for nine attacks against Israel using drones and ballistic missiles, including a joint attack with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Two missiles caused damage in central Israel, injuring 16 people. The Israeli Air Force attacked Houthi targets in Yemen, for the first time in the Sana’a area. 
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (December 17 – 24 , 2024)

IDF forces continued operations in the northern (the Jebalya refugee camp and Beit Lahia), central and southern Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorist operatives hiding in civilian structures, including senior Hamas figures. An IDF officer and two IDF soldiers were killed in the northern Gaza Strip; Hamas and other "Palestinian faction" delegations held meetings in Egypt to advance an agreement on a ceasefire and exchange of "prisoners". Hamas reiterated its insistence on a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip at the end of the process and accused Israel of presenting new demands; Egyptian efforts continued to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to approve the establishment of a community support committee to manage the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian "factions" presented names of candidates to represent them on the committee; A new study cast doubt on the data provided by Hamas' ministry of health in Gaza regarding the number of fatalities since the beginning of the war. Israel, Judea and Samaria: Palestinians carried out two terrorist attacks. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, eliminating a wanted Palestinian who was operating with Iranian funding; The Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces continued operations against "gunmen" in the Jenin refugee camp. Two security operatives were killed and the "gunmen" threatened to escalate the fighting.
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Summary of Terrorist Events, November 2024

During November 2024, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, and south Lebanon, as did attacks on Israel from pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Yemen. On November 27 a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect; Lebanon: The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued until the ceasefire went effect. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 682 attacks on IDF forces maneuvering in south Lebanon and on military, security and civilian targets in Israel, extending as far as the Greater Tel Aviv area, compared to 806 attacks in the previous month. Hezbollah continued to conceal the names of senior figures and operatives killed, announcing only the deaths of the organization's spokesperson, Muhammad Afif, and four members of its media network; The Gaza Strip: Eleven rockets were launched at Israeli territory, compared to 28 rockets in the previous month. Targeted killings of senior and prominent terrorist operatives in Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) continued; Israel, Judea and Samaria: Four terrorist attacks were carried out in Judea and Samaria, with no fatalities, compared to nine attacks the previous month. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations, focusing on northern Samaria. Terror operatives were eliminated in exchanges of fire and airstrikes, including commanders of terrorist organizations. A large shipment of Iranian weapons destined for terrorist operatives in Judea and Samaria was intercepted; Shi'ite militias: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued 69 claims of responsibility for attacks on 55 targets in Israeli territory, compared to 72 claims for 76 attacks the previous month. The Saraya Awliyaa al-Dam militia issued seven claims of responsibility for attacks on 11 targets in Israel, compared to 17 claims the previous month. On November 24 the militias ceased issuing claims of responsibility because of pressure from the Iraqi government and fear of an Israeli strike. Most of the launches by Iraqi militias lacked actual verification; some were intercepted, and others landed in Israeli territory without causing casualties. The Houthis claimed responsibility for five attacks on Israeli targets, compared to eight the previous month; Terrorist attacks on Israelis abroad: A Chabad emissary in the UAE was kidnapped and murdered. Three suspects, citizens of Uzbekistan, were arrested. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (December 16 – 22, 2024)

The IDF continued operations against Hezbollah's attempts to violate the ceasefire, targeting Hezbollah operatives and destroying weapons and terrorist facilities in south Lebanon. The Lebanese Army continued deploying in towns near the southern border and took control of positions vacated by Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Beqa'a area; Senior Hezbollah figures continued to accuse Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement while claiming the organization was committed to its implementation. However, they warned that Hezbollah might take action if Israel did not complete its withdrawal from south Lebanon without a response from the Lebanese government and army. Hezbollah expanded its compensation payments to homeowners whose properties were damaged in IDF strikes; Reports indicated that Hezbollah was unaware of the fate of more than a thousand operatives with whom contact was lost during the fighting. A Hezbollah member of the Lebanese Parliament stated that the funeral ceremony for Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi al-Din was expected to be held in early 2025; Indictments were filed against three Israeli citizens for assisting Hezbollah during the war; The Lebanese minister of welfare noted that the arrival of approximately 100,000 displaced persons as a result of the revolution in Syria was complicating the Lebanese efforts to rebuild the country; Suleiman Frangieh, Hezbollah's preferred candidate for the Lebanese presidency, announced that he was continuing his candidacy ahead of the parliamentary session on January 9, 2025. However, Army Commander Joseph Aoun is considered the leading candidate for the position. 
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Captured documents reveal how Iran smuggles weapons via Syria and Jordan

For years, Iran, its Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and Qods Force, have been operating a network smuggling weapons and funds to its proxies in the Middle East, primarily Hezbollah and Hamas. Until the overthrow of the Assad regime in early December 2024, Syria was the main smuggling route for arming Hezbollah with advanced precision weapons, many of which were used to attack Israel; Documents captured from Hamas during the war in the Gaza Strip expose Iran's aerial, maritime and overland routes to smuggle weapons to Syria, Lebanon, and Judea and Samaria. Some documents related to the arrest in Jordan of a smuggling network affiliated with Hamas and showed how Hamas and Iran transfer weapons to Judea and Samaria in hopes of igniting yet another front against Israel. They also related to Israeli and American methods to prevent arms smuggling; In recent years, Jordan has intensified its efforts to combat the smuggling of weapons and drugs by networks directed by Iran and its militias, from south Syria into Jordanian territory. Israel has also increased its efforts to prevent arms from being smuggled to Hezbollah, Judea and Samaria; The overthrow of the Assad regime undermined Iran's ability to transfer weapons through Syria, especially to Hezbollah, which is trying to recover from the blows inflicted by Israel. However, Iran's commitment to the "resistance" will most probably cause Tehran to seek alternative routes to replace the one through Syria and transfer weapons to its proxies for attacks on Israel.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (December 10 – 17, 2024)

IDF forces continued operating in the northern, central and southern Gaza Strip, and eliminated terrorist operatives hiding in civilian buildings. An IDF officer and soldier were killed in the southern Gaza Strip; Contacts continued in an effort to formulate an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas claimed they had agreed to significant concessions, including demands for a complete cessation of the war and the full withdrawal of IDF forces; Fatah and Hamas exchanged accusations over the deadlock in the establishment of a committee to manage the Gaza Strip after the war; Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out three attacks; an Israeli teenager was killed. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria. The Palestinian Authority's security forces continued operations against armed terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp. According to claims, the terrorists had pledged allegiance to Iran.
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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.