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The Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The Armed Palestinian Terrorist Organizations in Lebanon

 The Palestinian terrorist organizations have maintained an armed presence in the Lebanese refugee camps for decades without intervention by the authorities. Because of the Palestinians' involvement in the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s and reluctance to take action against the Palestinian "struggle," the authorities did nothing about the Palestinian weapons in Lebanon.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (May 20 – 27, 2025)

IDF forces continued attacking Hamas and other terrorist organization targets in the Gaza Strip from the air and on the ground, and ordered local residents to evacuate from the northern Gaza Strip and the Khan Yunis area. An IDF soldier was killed in the southern Gaza Strip; There were reportedly intensive diplomatic contacts in Egypt and Qatar in an attempt to reach a ceasefire agreement and secure the release of hostages. Hamas claimed they were “open minded” and willing to consider any proposal that would end the war and lead to the IDF’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip; The American company established to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip began operating in Rafah. There were reports that aid trucks, warehouses and bakeries were looted because of a flour shortage; A terrorist operative was killed in a stabbing attack at a checkpoint in Hebron; there were no casualties. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, including the detention of terrorist squads responsible for shooting attacks. At least 19 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons in the hostage deal were reportedly detained again. Security forces also took action against branches of a currency exchange company suspected of ties to terrorist organizations; Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Lebanon and discussed disarming the Palestinian refugee camps. 
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (May 13 – 20, 2025)

The IDF launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots, a large-scale ground operation combined with aerial attacks targeting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. An assassination attempt was made on the life of Muhammad al-Sinwar, considered head of Hamas' military wing. Palestinians reported hundreds of casualties and damage to hospitals in the Gaza Strip; The Qatari prime minister announced that the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas held in Doha had reached a dead end. Hamas continued to demand a deal involving the release of all the hostages in exchange for the Palestinian prisoners and called for American and international guarantees to end the war; Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas instructed the Fatah leadership and PLO "factions" to renew contact with Hamas and integrate it into the Palestinian political system to reach an agreement which would include restoring control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority; One Israeli civilian was killed and a civilian and a police officer were injured in two terrorist attacks. Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (May 6–13, 2025)

IDF forces continued operations targeting Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, attacking terrorist operatives, including participants in the October 7, 2023 attack, and destroying terrorist facilities, some of them in civilian installations. Two IDF soldiers were killed in Rafah; Hamas' military wing released the Israeli-American hostage, IDF soldier Idan Alexander, following direct secret talks with the American administration. The organization called for immediate negotiations for ending the war and releasing all "captives."; Hamas continued to promote the “famine” narrative and rejected an American plan to establish aid distribution centers; Hamas' security forces reportedly executed five Gazans as part of an operation against “looters and suspected collaborators with Israel.”; Two IDF soldiers were shot and seriously injured in Samaria. Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, during which the head of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell in Jenin was eliminated; Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Moscow and met with the presidents of Russia, China and Egypt. He called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the transfer of responsibility for Gaza to the Palestinian Authority and discussed the international peace conference planned for June 2025.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (May 5 – 12, 2025)

IDF forces continued taking action against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon, which violates the ceasefire, and against the organization's efforts to renew its military capabilities. The IDF attacked a Hezbollah underground compound in the Beaufort Ridge and eliminated several Hezbollah operatives. A senior operative in Hamas' military wing in Lebanon was also eliminated; Hezbollah accused Israel of more than 3,100 “violations” since the start of the ceasefire in November 2024 and claimed 156 people had been killed. Senior Hezbollah figures criticized the government and accused it of weakness in the face of Israeli “aggression."; Senior Lebanese officials condemned the Israeli “violations” and demanded a full withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanese territory; UNIFIL’s commander said UN forces had discovered more than 200 weapons cache sites and warned that the situation in south Lebanon remained fragile; The Lebanese foreign minister warned that Hezbollah’s stance weakened Lebanon; Senior Hezbollah figures are reportedly pressuring secretary general Na'im Qassem to hold new elections for the Shura Council and hold senior officials who failed during the war with Israel accountable for their failure; Dozens of workers at Beirut Airport were reportedly fired over suspected ties with Hezbollah, part of the government's effort to prevent arms smuggling; A senior Hamas figure in Lebanon claimed they were committed to the ceasefire and the movement had not yet been asked to hand over its weapons.
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Disarming the Palestinian Factions in Lebanon

The Palestinian factions in Lebanon have maintained an armed presence in the refugee camps for decades without interference from the authorities. In recent years, the Hamas branch in Lebanon has become the most powerful military force among the factions, and its active involvement in fighting alongside Hezbollah in the latest conflict drew significant public and political attention; The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024, which ended the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, led the Lebanese authorities to declare their willingness to institute a state monopoly of weapons throughout the country. The declaration was reinforced under the new president, Joseph Aoun, and the new government headed by Nawaf Salam; The rocket fire attacking northern Israel at the end of March 2025 and the exposure of Hamas operatives as responsible led the authorities to warn the movement not to threaten national security. Following the warning, in an unprecedented move Hamas handed the Lebanese army suspects involved in the rocket fire; At this stage, it is unclear whether Lebanese security forces intend to act militarily to collect the weapons in the country’s Palestinian refugee camps or to simply reorganize relations and increase coordination over weapons use. In ITIC assessment, a successful assertion of state authority over the Palestinian factions could set a precedent for a similar move against Hezbollah, which is considered a more complex and sensitive challenge for Lebanon. As a result, Hezbollah may attempt to prevent a forceful move by the Lebanese army against the Palestinian factions but may also assist in resolving the issue through dialogue.
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