Palestinian Resistance: 8 Brigades That Fight Against Israeli Occupation in Gaza

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - For decades, Israel has continued to attack the Gaza Strip in Palestine. One notable resistance brigade in Gaza is the Al Qassam Brigade, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. However, various other Palestinian groups or brigades have taken up arms to fight the Israeli occupation over the years.

The following is a list of some of the Palestinian brigades involved in resistance against Israel.

1. Al Qassam Brigades (IQB)

In Gaza, the Al Qassam Brigades, or what is officially known as the Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB) have grown exponentially. The Al Qassam Brigades is a military wing of Hamas founded in early 1991. This brigade is known as one of the most powerful and organized resistance groups in Palestine. The Al Qassam Brigades have fought many battles with Israel. In carrying out its duties, the Al-Qassam Brigades has an internal security force called Al-Majd. Even though they are based in Gaza, this brigade also carries out activities in the West Bank.

2. Al Quds Brigade (AQB)

The Al Quds Brigade (AQB) is the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). AQB is the second largest armed group in Gaza after Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB). Palestinian Islamic Jihad also has growing influence in the West Bank and frequently collaborates with the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the al-Qassam Brigades. The group is particularly active in the cities of Nablus, the northern part of the West Bank, and Jenin, operating under the auspices of the 'Jenin Battalion'.

3. Al-Aqsa Fatah Martyrs Brigade (AAMB)

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AAMB) was founded in late 2000 during the Second Intifada with ambiguous ties with the Fatah political faction in the West Bank. This group's goal is to expel Israeli military forces and settlers from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip and establish a Palestinian state. Three battalions in the Fatah movement are actively fighting against the Israeli army, led by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade: the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Nidal Al-Amoudi Brigade, and the Mahmoud Masoud Brigade.

4. Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigade

The Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades is the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees. This group consists of fighters from various Palestinian factions and is involved in rocket attacks, cross-border attacks, as well as armed attacks on the Israeli military. This group believes that only armed struggle can liberate Palestine and prevent Israel from achieving its colonial ambitions in Palestinian territories. The brigade frequently collaborates with Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, using homemade rockets and short-range shells as part of their strategy.

5. Abu Ali Mustafa Brigade (PFLP)

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigade is the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) which was formed as part of the Popular Resistance Forces in 2000. Its name is taken from the name of the party's former Secretary General, Abu Ali Mustafa, whom Israel assassinated in 2001. It is currently considered the fifth most powerful force and includes hundreds of fighters in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Some 2,000 of its fighters receive local military training and are known to be adept at firing both short-range and long-range missiles. The most successful operation to date was the assassination of former Israeli Minister of Tourism, Rehavam Ze'evi, in 2001.

6. Jihad Jibril Brigade (PFLP-GC)

Quoting Newsweek, the Jibril Jihad Brigade, or Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC), broke away from the PFLP only a year after its formation. This brigade adopted a more militant nationalist approach to fighting Israel and establishing a Palestinian state.

Its military wing, known as the Jibril Jihad Brigade for the past two decades, was named after the founder's son, Ahmed Jibril, who has since died. This brigade carried out large-scale attacks against Israel in the 1970s and 1980s, using southern Lebanon as a base of operations. One of its notable operations was a 1987 surprise attack on IDF troops, known as the "Night of the Hang Gliders."

7. Palestinian National Resistance Brigades (DFLP)

Palestinian National Resistance Brigade is the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). The group was formed during the Second Intifada in 2000 and has an armed presence in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Jerusalem. The brigade has repeatedly carried out attacks on illegal Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

DLFP is a Communist national liberation movement and participated in a surprise Hamas-led attack on Israeli military bases and civilian settlements within and around Gaza last October. In addition, its fighters are routinely involved in active combat against Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

8. Mujahideen Brigade

This brigade was originally formed as part of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade. However, the Palestinian Mujahideen movement later became an independent entity in 2006 after its leader, Omar Abu Sharia, was killed.

With a more Islamist orientation than the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement and its armed wing, the Mujahideen Brigades, have maintained close ties with Iran.

The Mujahideen Brigade operates in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jenin, and claims responsibility for rocket attacks against Israel, often collaborating with the Islamic Jihad al-Quds Brigade. The Secretary General of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement is Dr. As'ad Abu Shari'a. In 2018, the group was blacklisted as a specially designated global terrorist by the US Department of State.

RIZKI DEWI AYU | NEW ARAB | NEWSWEEK | EFCR.EU

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