The Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad opens military training camps for adolescents

On June 12, 2023, the recruiting unit of the Jerusalem Brigades, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) military-terrorist wing, opened training camps for adolescents in the Gaza Strip, calling them "the camps of Operation Free Men's Revenge" [the name the Palestinians gave Operation Shield and Arrow]. The camps were held at Jerusalem Brigades military facilities. According to the camp organizers, their objective was to give them the tools that would enable them to join the Jerusalem Brigades as operatives. Hamas and the PIJ regard the summer camps as very important. They are organized by their military-terrorist wings every year . The pictures which follow are of this year's PIJ training camps and document their military nature, whose objective is to train the youths for induction into the Jerusalem Brigades' units as soon as possible to fill the ranks which were depleted in Operation Shield and Arrow (May 2023).
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 21-27, 2023)

This past week terrorists carried out four attacks. The most lethal was a shooting at a restaurant and gas station near the settlement of Eli (north of Ramallah), in which four civilians were killed. Hamas military-terrorist operatives in northern Samaria launched a rocket at the Israeli communities over the border in the Gilboa region; the rocket misfired. Three terrorist operatives who had carried out many shooting attacks died in a targeted killing when their vehicle was attacked by an IDF UAV. Several Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces in Jenin, Husan and the Askar refugee camp in Nablus. In the wake of the shooting attack at Eli, groups of Jewish settlers went to Palestinian villages and towns to avenge the deaths of the four victims. The Gaza Strip remained relatively quiet. A test rocket was fired towards the sea. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) delegations ended their visits to Iran. Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh arrived in Saudi Arabia.
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Palestinian Activity in Jenin in Reaction to the IDF Presence in Judea and Samaria

The Jenin refugee campis controlled by military-terrorist wings, led by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Jerusalem Brigades, and has become a center for terrorism in Judea and Samaria. Their activities include the recent attempts to shoot at Israeli communities near the border and attempts, so far unsuccessful, to manufacture rockets and launch them into Israeli territory. The refugee camp, with its various resident terrorist organizations, operates as one organism and is almost independent; the Palestinian Authority (PA) has virtually no presence or influence in the camp. The Jenin refugee camp is unique in its militancy and organized offensives against Israeli security force activity. The opposition to the Israeli security forces of the Jenin refugee camp inspires the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. This report investigates the recent events in the Jenin refugee camp and presents information about the methods used by the terrorist operatives; their intelligence and operations, including the development of operational capabilities and weapons; improvement in the ability of their monitoring units to alert the camp to the entry of IDF forces and their locations; the fast, capable identification of the IDF units and even their ability to identify IDF special forces (such as undercover and intelligence units); monitoring the types of weapons the IDF forces use; etc.
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Spotlight on Iran (June 8-22, 2022)

In mid-June 2023, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) delegation visited Iran and met with senior Iranian officials, including supreme leader Khamenei. A delegation of senior Hamas figures also arrived in Tehran for a visit. The Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers held a phone conversation to discuss the outcomes of the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Damascus in May, as well as regional developments, including the improvement in Syria's foreign relations with the Arab states. An Iraqi news website reported that the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods Force visited Baghdad and met with leaders of the Shi'ite "coordination framework" to discuss recent political and security developments in Iraq.The head of Iran's Strategic Foreign Relations Council visited Baghdad and met with senior members of the Iraqi government to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations.
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Israeli Security Force Activity in Jenin, June 19, 2023

The Israeli security force activity in Jenin became complicated when IEDs were detonated to attack two IDF armored vehicles. For several hours, during which the forces tried to extract the vehicles, there were heavy exchanges of fire with armed Palestinians. The Jenin Battalion of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Jerusalem Brigades claimed its operatives had attacked the IDF soldiersThe al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (AAMB) reported its operatives had detonated several IEDs and shot at the Israeli forces (Jenin Battalion and AAMB Telegram channels, June 19, 2023). The Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing, also announced it operatives had detonated IEDs and shot barrages at IDF soldiers in Jenin (al-Aqsa TV, June 19, 2023). Five Palestinians were killed at least four of the fatalities were terrorist operatives; one was a 15 year-old boy.Palestinian sources on the ground were extremely satisfied with the outcome of the event.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 14-20, 2023)

This past week terrorists carried out two attacks: a shooting at the Reihan Crossing, one civilian and four soldiers wounded; and a vehicular ramming at the Rachel Crossing, two soldiers wounded. IDF forces continued counterterrorist activities, detaining suspected Palestinians and seizing weapons; Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles on the roads in Judea and Samaria. An Israeli adolescent planning a terrorist attack was apprehended. Three Palestinians were killed in Israeli security force activities. The Gaza Strip remained relatively quiet. A delegation of the heads of Hamas and the PIJ went to Iran for meetings with the upper echelons of the Iranian regime. According to Ziyad al-Nakhalah, PIJ secretary general, the two delegations held an "important meeting" with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods Force command, and in the coming days other terrorist operatives are expected to arrive in Tehran to join them for additional meetings.
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