In the past few hours, the name of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement has been changing hands after the Israeli military operation against this movement in Gaza on Friday.
And on Saturday, Israel’s military said it was preparing for a “week” of attacks on the Gaza Strip, where an exchange of fire with Islamic Jihad has so far left more than a dozen Palestinians dead. The prominent leader of the movement, Tisir al-Jabari.
Israeli officials have said that the target of the airstrikes on Gaza is the Islamic Jihad movement and not the Hamas movement ruling the Strip. What is the difference between these two groups?
Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian armed group like Hamas, and both groups are related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Jihad and Hamas share a common enmity with Israel and an ideological commitment to the creation of a Palestinian Islamic state, but the two groups have separate identities and differences.
For years, while Hamas leaders have toned down their rhetoric and insisted on their commitment to the destruction of Israel, Islamic Jihad has continued its anti-Israeli rhetoric and denied any concessions from its harsh rhetoric.
While Islamic Jihad does not have as many long-range rockets as Hamas, it does have a large arsenal of small arms, mortars, rockets, and anti-tank missiles.
The country also has an active armed wing called Saraya al-Quds, which has attacked many Israelis in recent years.
Al-Jabari, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday, was the commander of the movement’s northern region and was responsible for planning attacks against Israelis and military targets.
Recent figures on Islamic Jihad’s manpower are hard to come by, with estimates as of last year ranging from 1,000 to several thousand militants, according to the CIA.
Both Hamas, which has had five conflicts with Israel since 2009, and Islamic Jihad are on the list of terrorist organizations in the West.
According to Reuters, both Hamas and Islamic Jihad receive money and weapons from Iran.
According to Reuters, Ziad Nakhale, the leader of this movement, met with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on the day of the strikes.
Unlike Hamas, Islamic Jihad refuses to participate in elections and appears to have no ambitions to form a government in Gaza or the West Bank.
Islamic Jihad has a large presence in the West Bank city of Jenin, where one of its prominent leaders, Bassam al-Saadi, was arrested last week, triggering a crisis that led to Friday’s strikes.
Islamic Jihad is solely focused on military activity and does not have the infrastructure or responsibilities of Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is responsible for the government and the daily needs of over 2.3 million people.
More than a year after the 11-day war in May 2021, which severely damaged Gaza’s economy, Israel’s apparent focus on Islamic Jihad positions appears to be aimed at dissuading Hamas from engaging in the confrontation.
“There are significant differences with Islamic Jihad that could keep Hamas away from confrontation,” said Zvika Haimovich, a former Israeli air defense commander who served in previous Gaza operations in 2012 and 2014.
He said: “Hamas’ direct interests are not joining this confrontation.
He added: “If Hamas joins this process, the situation we are talking about will change completely.”
Source: Lebanon Debate
