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The Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 12-19, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and in other areas in the Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who headed the Hamas military wing and was one of the planners of the October 7 attack, was eliminated in a strike in Gaza City, and reportedly, military intelligence chief Muhammad Oudeh was appointed to replace him; The Board of Peace announced the ceasefire continued despite the "violations," and called Hamas' refusal to disarm the main obstacle to advancing the process and beginning reconstruction of the Strip. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations refused to disarm on the grounds that Israel had not met its commitments to the first stage of the agreement and called for the resignation of Mladenov, representative of the Board of Peace; Despite the demand that Hamas transfer governance of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian technocrat committee, Hamas government ministries continue routine activity to ensure the movement's hold on the territories over which it has control; The Israeli Navy prevented the Global Resilience Flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip and halted dozens of vessels which had departed from Turkey; Hamas announced that no candidate had won the first round of elections for the movement's leadership, and therefore another round would take place; UNRWA reportedly smuggled its archives from the Gaza Strip headquarters and east Jerusalem to Jordan; The eighth Fatah conference called for continuing "non-violent popular resistance" for the establishment of a Palestinian state which would include Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and have east Jerusalem as its capital. Marwan al-Barghouti, who is serving life sentences in Israel for terrorist crimes, won the vote for the movement's central committee, and the son of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority was also elected. Palestinian elements called for closing ranks and formulating a unified Palestinian strategy to advance a broad political and popular struggle.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (May 11-18, 2026)

The IDF continued destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists in the forward defense zone (the Yellow Line) in south Lebanon, gained full operational control of the Litani River, attacked hundreds of Hezbollah facilities and assets, and eliminated terrorists in south Lebanon and the Beqa'a Valley. A senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operative was eliminated in a strike in the Beqa'a Valley. Two IDF soldiers were killed and four wounded in the fighting; three civilians were wounded by the explosion of an explosive UAV in Rosh HaNikra; Hezbollah issued more than 130 claims of responsibility for attacks on IDF forces in south Lebanon and targets in northern Israel, most of them using explosive and regular UAVs; The Lebanese and Israeli delegations held the third round of direct talks in Washington, for the first time with the participation of military personnel, and agreed to extend the ceasefire for 45 more days and initiate political and security negotiations. Reportedly, if the ceasefire stabilized, Israel was expected to begin a gradual withdrawal and the Lebanese army would deploy in the south of the country; Hezbollah continued its absolute opposition to direct negotiations with Israel and accused the Lebanese leadership of making concessions to Israel and the United States while attempting to disarm the "resistance."; The Lebanese prime minister said the state was facing the most severe crisis since its establishment and called for restoring the state's exclusive monopoly over weapons and national decisions; Hezbollah secretary general thanked Iran for its continued support of the organization and linked the current hostilities against Israel to the "Iranian confrontation."; The UAE added 16 Lebanese individuals and entities to its list of terrorist organizations, including the al-Qard al-Hassan Association, Hezbollah's financial arm. 
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Elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Head of Hamas’ Military Wing: Reactions and Significance

On May 15, 2026, the Israeli security forces eliminated Izz al-Din al-Haddad in a strike on an apartment in Gaza City. He was head of Hamas' military wing and one of the planners of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre, and led Hamas' reconstruction after the ceasefire; Hamas confirmed al-Haddad's death, called him a "great commander" who had been involved in jihad for decades, culminating in the invasion of Israeli territory and the ensuing atrocities. Statements by the movement and its senior figures accused Israel of an assassination and a violation of the ceasefire agreement, claiming that the objective was to exert pressure on Hamas; Al-Haddad, who joined Hamas at the age of 17 with the establishment of the movement, rose through the ranks of the military wing and held a series of command positions. He was appointed commander of the Gaza Brigade in 2021 and commander of the military wing in May 2025; He played a significant role in preparing for the October 7 attack and massacre. In an order given before the beginning of the attack, discovered by IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, he said the primary objective was to take a large number of soldiers captive in the first moments and send them into the Gaza Strip. During the war, he kept Israeli hostages around himself as human shields; In Amit Institute assessment, the elimination of al-Haddad is a blow to Hamas' reconstruction efforts, its continued military buildup and the tightening of its governance in areas under its control in the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire, despite demands that it relinquishes power and disarm. Al-Haddad was one of the last military commanders of Hamas' first generation, and his elimination will require the military wing to adapt itself to younger commanders who will have to make critical decisions regarding the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades' future.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 5 –12, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip, destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. The son of the Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' political bureau in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an attack in Gaza City; Hamas continued to accuse Israel of preventing the transition to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement while refusing to comply with the demand to disarm. Hamas downplayed the importance of Israeli threats to renew the fighting, but said the Palestinians would "defend themselves" if attacked; Reportedly, 5,000 Palestinian policemen will undergo Israeli security screening and deploy under the supervision of the committee for managing the Gaza Strip; There has reportedly been a sharp decline in the flow of international aid to the Gaza Strip since the halt of the war against Iran; Hamas continued strengthening its civilian rule in the Strip, with increased "security" activity against "collaborators" and militias supported by Israel; According to reports, another international flotilla which was supposed to leave Turkey for the Gaza Strip was postponed after a request from the United States because of concern over a violent confrontation; Hamas is preparing to select the new head of the political bureau in a contest between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashal; The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria. A terrorist was shot and killed after shooting at the forces in the Qalandia refugee camp; there were no casualties; A court in Ramallah overturned the decision of the Palestinian minister of finance to stop payments to a Palestinian prisoner incarcerated in Israel.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 28 – May 5, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat, among them the head of the operations department in Hamas' military intelligence headquarters who helped orchestrate the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack and massacre; The mediators delivered to Israel and Hamas a 15-part document proposing a phased implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire agreement. It included disarming under the supervision of a national and international committee, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the reconstruction of areas which had been disarmed. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations demanded full implementation of the first stage by Israel and the dismantling of militias supported by Israel before moving to the second stage. Gazans called on Hamas to consider the proposal for disarmament lest the war be renewed; Hamas continued to claim damage to the public health system in the Gaza Strip, high levels of unemployment, poverty and almost complete dependence on humanitarian aid. A commander of an Israeli-supported militia claimed that they had taken control of 11% of the areas held by Hamas; The IDF halted more than 20 boats which participated in the Global Resilience Flotilla to the Gaza Strip, and two of the organizers were brought to Israel on suspicion of ties with Hamas. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed it was "piracy on the high seas" targeting "solidarity activists."; Hamas renewed the election for a new head of the movement's political bureau in a race between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal; Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria and located weapons, ready-to-use explosive devices and drones. Two soldiers were stabנed and wounded in the village of Silwad, one terrorist was killed.
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Spotlight on Terrorism – April 2026

During April 2026, hostilities continued between Israel and Hezbollah, even after a ceasefire was announced on April 16-17; The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continued, and Israeli security forces continued extensive counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria; The Houthis stopped attacking Israel after the beginning of the ceasefire between Iran and the United States on April 8; Two Jews were seriously wounded in stabbing attack in London, terrorists opened fire near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.
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