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The Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (August 20-27, 2024)

IDF forces continued their activity in Rafah and the central Gaza Strip, ending activity in Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. Two IDF soldiers were killed during the fighting; The bodies of seven Israeli hostages were located in Rafah. Six had been kidnapped alive and were murdered shortly before their bodies were discovered. The head of the Hamas military wing actually admitted that the hostages had been executed. Senior Hamas figures blamed Israel for the failure of the ceasefire negotiations and the release of hostages because the Security Cabinet had decided to keep IDF forces deployed along the Philadelphia Axis; An extensive operation began to vaccinate Gazan children against polio. The Shifa Hospital in Gaza reopened its emergency room for the first time since it was closed by the fighting; Israel, Judea and Samaria: Palestinian operatives carried out two terrorist attacks. Three Israeli policemen were shot to death in a drive-by shooting south of Mount Hebron, and three IDF officers were injured when two car bombs exploded in Gush Etzion. A car bomb was located and defused near the community of Ateret in Binyamin. The Israeli security forces launched an extensive counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria, an IDF soldier was killed; A new study found that since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre, Hamas has increased its "diplomatic" activity in an attempt to garner international support and preserve its position in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war; Mahmoud Abbas met with the Saudi crown prince.
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Escalation and Thwarting of Terrorism in Northern Samaria

On the night of August 27-28, 2024, Israeli security forces launched counterterrorism operations in Jenin and its environs, in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, and the al-Far’a refugee camp in the Tubas area. The operation in Jenin continues (as of September 2, 2024), while the other two operations have been completed. An IDF soldier was killed and at least ten other members of the Israeli security forces were wounded; During the operation, the forces killed more than 25 terrorist operatives in airstrikes and exchanges of fire, including commanders of terrorist networks in Jenin and Tulkarm, detained wanted persons, located explosives laboratories and large quantities of weapons, and destroyed IEDs planted on traffic routes; Concurrently with the IDF operations, two terrorist attacks were carried out. Two car bombs driven by terrorists exploded in the Gush Etzion area, wounding three security personnel. Three policemen were shot dead in a shooting attack in the South Hebron Hills. A car bomb was found near the community of Ateret; During 2024, some processes and trends can be identified that contributed to the increase in terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria, especially in northern Samaria, which in the ITIC’s assessment are expected to continue even after the activity of the Israeli security forces: efforts by Hamas and Iran to encourage terrorist activity through incitement, directing terrorist attacks, and smuggling weapons and money; cooperation between armed terrorist networks belonging to various Palestinian organizations; increasing use of powerful IEDs for terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria and inside Israel; increase attempts to carry out shooting attacks targeting Israeli communities in the Seam Zone.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (August 13 – 20 , 2024)

IDF forces continued their activity in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip and the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, expanding their activities in Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. The Palestinian organizations continued firing rockets into Israeli territory, including targeting the center of the country. Three IDF soldiers were killed in combat; Israeli security forces rescued the bodies of six Israeli hostages from a tunnel in Khan Yunis. Efforts to promote a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages continued, while senior Hamas figures continued to accuse Israel of making new demands; The UN called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow children to be vaccinated against polio. The Hamas-controlled ministry of health in Gaza claimed to have identified the first active case of the virus; Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out two attacks, murdering one Israeli civilian and wounding another. An Israeli citizen was injured when an IED exploded in Tel Aviv. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the "suicide attack." In an attack in an industrial area in Samaria, an Israeli citizen was killed by a hammer-wielding Palestine. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; A Palestinian was killed when dozens of Jewish settlers rioted in the village of Jit in Samaria; PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Turkey and met with President Erdogan. He gave a speech to the Turkish Parliament, announcing his intention to visit the Gaza Strip with senior Palestinian figures.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (August 6 – 13 , 2024)

The operatives of Hamas' military wing swore allegiance to Yahya al-Sinwar after his appointment as the new head of the Hamas movement's political bureau. Discussions continue on the selection of a deputy. According to reports, al-Sinwar is still involved in the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages from his hideout in the Gaza Strip; This past week IDF forces focused their activity on the Rafah and Khan Yunis regions, attacking terrorist facilities operated by Hamas in civilian compounds and exposing tunnels and weapons. Palestinian terrorists continued firing rockets at Israeli territory; The leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar issued a joint statement calling for finalizing the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Hamas claims it has shown flexibility in the negotiations, while efforts are being made to convince the movement to participate in the talks expected to take place on August 15, 2024; An UNRWA spokeswoman said that the agency continued to provide humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and operated more than a hundred medical sites; Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out two attacks, murdering an Israeli civilian and wounding two others. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; The PA chairman met in Russia with Vladimir Putin. The PA petitioned the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and defense minister. Turkey announced it was joining the lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
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The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip exploit the civilian infrastructure for terrorist activities

On August 10, 2024, the Israeli Air Force attacked the headquarters of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the al-Tabi'in school complex in Gaza City. Despite false Hamas claims of intentional IDF attacks on civilians, the IDF spokesperson reported that Hamas had turned schools, where civilians took shelter, into command and control centers, sites for storing weapons and carrying out terrorist activities against IDF forces in the Gaza Strip and against the territory of the State of Israel; Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, a substantial amount of evidence has accumulated about the use the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, especially Hamas, make of civilian facilities and the civilian population for the purpose of waging war; The ongoing fighting and the expansion of the IDF's activity to areas such as Rafah and Khan Yunis caused the terrorist organizations to forfeit military assets, and the use civilian facilities gained momentum, as did carrying out terrorist activity from within the population. The terrorist organizations use UNRWA facilities, shelters and humanitarian areas where displaced residents are located for terrorist activities; The strategy of constructing terrorist assets within the civilian space, which constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity, enables the terrorist organizations to reduce damage to themselves, knowing they will have a kind of immunity from IDF operations, including counterterrorist activities, since insofar as is possible the IDF will not harm civilians or attack institutions such as hospitals, schools and civilian shelter areas. The strategy also enables the terrorist organizations to spread incitement and false propaganda as part of their regional and international battle for hearts and minds by representing Israel as attacking civilian institutions and innocent civilians.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (July 31 – August 6 , 2024)

Isma'il Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau, was killed in an attack in Tehran; he was buried in Qatar. Senior Hamas figures said killing him would not alter the movement's path. The Hamas leadership held consultations to choose his successor. "Sources" stated the movement would resume negotiations for a ceasefire after a new leader had been elected; This past week IDF forces focused their activity on the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip and the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip. They attacked Hamas terrorist facilities operating in civilian compounds and exposed tunnels and weapons. There was an increase in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, an Israeli civilian was injured; The IDF confirmed that Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas' military wing, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Yunis; Hamas did not issue a confirmation. the IDF continued to target terrorist operatives in the Gaza Strip, including those involved in smuggling and operatives who participated in the Hamas terrorist attack and massacre on October 7 2023; A UN investigation determined that there was evidence indicating the possible involvement of nine UNRWA employees in the October 7, 2023 attack, and announced their dismissal. Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorist operatives carried out three attacks, murdering two Israelis and injuring four others. A Palestinian terrorist stabbed two civilians to death and wounded two others in Holon, and a female Border Police fighter was stabbed at the Tunnel roadblock. An Israeli civilian was injured in a combined shooting and stabbing attack near Kiryat Arba. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria, killing nine terrorist operatives in two airstrikes in Tulkarm, and at least five in two airstrikes in Jenin.
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The Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is the second largest and most important terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. It was established in the Gaza Strip in the late 1970s by students studying in Egypt, members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and headed by Dr. Fathi Shqaqi, a physician from Rafah, and Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Awda, a preacher from the Jebaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

Inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has a radical fundamentalist Sunni Muslim ideology. It seeks the immediate “liberation” of Palestine through jihad (holy war) and the establishment of a Muslim Palestinian state. Fathi Shqaqi was eliminated in Malta in 1995, and was succeeded by Dr. Ramadan Shalah, who is also one of the organization’s founding members.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejects any arrangement or agreement with Israel. According to its ideology, jihad is an obligation that should be implemented immediately rather than be postponed until after the establishment of an Islamic state. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has a military arm, Quds Brigades, equipped with various weapons, which fires rockets from the Gaza Strip and instigates carrying out terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria. During the Second Intifada, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad “specialized” in carrying out suicide bombing attacks in Israeli territory.

Of all Palestinian terrorist organizations, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is the closest to Iran and more than any other organization, it receives extensive support from Iran.

Like other terrorist organizations, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States.