Wikipedia

Mujahideen Brigades

Palestinian militant organization

This article is about the militant wing. For the political wing, see Palestinian Mujahideen Movement.

The Mujahideen Brigades (Arabic: كتائب المجاهدين, romanized: Kataeb Al-Mujahideen)[a][15] is the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement (Arabic: حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية, romanized: Haraka Al-Mujahideen Al-FilisTynya).[5] The General Secretary of the group is Dr. Asad Abu Sharia (Arabic: أسعد أبو شريعة).[4] They are a relatively small group.[7] The group is ideologically more extreme than Hamas, but much smaller.

Mujahideen Brigades كتائب المجاهدين
FounderOmar Abu Sharia[1][2] Arabic: عمر أبو شريعة
Kunya: Abu Hafs[3] Arabic: أبو حفص
LeaderAsad Abu Sharia[4] Arabic: أسعد أبو شريعة
Dates of operation2006–present[1][2]
Split fromFatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
Active regions
Ideology
StatusActive
SizeRelatively small[7]
Part of Palestinian Mujahideen Movement (political wing)
State of Palestine Palestinian Joint Operations Room[8][9][10]
AlliesMilitants factions:
Hamas Al Qassam Brigades
Template:Military[5]
Political and religious:
Rightly Guided Caliphs Assembly (مجمع الخلفاء الراشدين الدعوي)[11][12]
Opponents Israel
Battles and wars
Websitewww.km-pal.ps

History

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The organization was founded in 2006 by Omar Abu Sharia (Arabic: عمر أبو شريعة).[2][1]

The Mujahideen Brigades are the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, they split from the Fatah Movement, and its forces represent a former brigade in Fatah's militant wing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which was called the Brigade of the Martyr Jihad Al-Amarin (Arabic: الشهيد جهاد العمارين) before the schism.[16]

Soon after the split they called themselves "Al-Aqsa Brigades - Mujahideen Brigades", and then they became "Mujahideen Brigades", and later "Palestinian Mujahideen Movement - Military Wing of Mujahideen Brigades".[17]

The leaders and founders of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement are from the Al-Hasayna (Arabic: الحساينة) and Abu Sharia (Arabic: أبو شريعة) families in Gaza, and have Bedouin roots.[3]

Political wing

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The political wing is the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement (Arabic: حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية, romanized: Haraka Al-Mujahideen Al-FilisTynya).[5]

Militant activity

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See also: Palestinian Joint Operations Room

The militant wing is also led by the movement's leader Dr. Asad Abu Sharia (Arabic: أسعد أبو شريعة).[4]

The Mujahideen Brigades took part in the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.[18]

2023-2024 war and hostage crisis

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See also: Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis, Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and Bombing of the Gaza Strip

The Mujahideen Brigades participated in the Israel–Hamas war, attacking Israeli forces in the Gaza Envelope,[6] the Gaza Strip,[19][20] and the West Bank.[19][20]

They joined the 7 October attacks initiated by Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades military wing.[6] On their telegram channels they published videos and photographs of themselves attacking a military base and a kibbutz, fighters posing with a dead IDF soldier in full combat uniform.

They were largely ignored by the media for the first few months of the war, until their videos were broadcast by Arabic language news channels like Al Jazeera Mubasher and Al Araby TV. Propaganda videos from the Mujahideen Brigades used a blue triangle to highlight targets,[21][22][23] in place of the red triangle used in videos made by the Qassam Brigades.[24][25][26]

On 23 November the homes of the Al-Hasayna (Arabic: الحساينة) and Abu Sharia (Arabic: أبو شريعة) families were destroyed in an airstrike [ar], that allegedly killed 93 Palestinians (Arabic: وليد زيارة).[27][28] Neither side acknowledged a possible target, and only civilians casualties were reported.[27][28]

Kidnapping of the Bibas family

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Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October 2023. Kfir was less than one year old at the time and the youngest hostage held by Gaza's militant factions. The IDF claimed they were kidnapped by Hamas, but then said were held by "another group" after they were excluded from the 2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange in November 2023.

In November 2023, Mujahideen Brigades stated on social media that the Bibas family was in their custody.[29]

Then on 29 November, during hostage negotiations, Hamas claimed Shiri Bibas and her children had been killed in an Israeli air strike while in captivity. [30] In January the IDF said they were not sure if the trio were being held by Hamas.[31] On 19 February, the IDF presented a video showing Shiri and the children still alive several days after the abduction. The video was apparently filmed in southern Gaza.[32]

The group holding the Bibas family was shown to be the Mujahideen Brigades based on CCTV footage found in Khan Younis.[14][33][34]

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Notes

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  1. ↑ The Arabic name "Kataeb Al-Mujahideen" or variants like "Kataeb Mujahideen" are occasionally used in Israeli English.[14]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "ليست القسام وحدها.. تعرف على أبرز الفصائل المقاوِمة في فلسطين | الجزيرة نت".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 ما هي التنظيمات المسلحة في غزة؟. BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 19 August 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "كتائب المجاهدين" من أبرز فصائل المقاومة في حرب غزة..ماذا تعرفون عنها؟ ["Mujahideen Brigades" is one of the most prominent resistance factions in the Gaza war, What do you know about it?]. موقع نبض nabd.com (in Arabic). صدى نيوز. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "As'ad Abu Shari'a". European Council on Foreign Relations. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Mujahideen Brigades". ECFR. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Guy Van Vlierden (14 October 2023). "HLN ONDERZOEK. Van jihadisten tot communisten: zeker 10 groeperingen deden mee met actie Palestijnse terroristen" [HLN RESEARCH. From jihadists to communists: at least 10 groups participated in Palestinian terrorist action]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 October 2023.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fabian, Emanuel (20 February 2024). "IDF finds video of Bibas family in Gaza, 'very concerned' for mother, youngest hostages". www.australianjewishnews.com. Retrieved 21 July 2024. The IDF spokesman said the clips are from a Khan Younis military post belonging to the Mujahideen Brigades terror group, a relatively small armed faction in the Gaza Strip that is somewhat allied with the coastal enclave's Hamas rulers.
  8. ↑ "Hamas terrorist Ayman Nofal explains the workings of the Palestinian organizations' joint operations room in the Gaza Strip". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  9. ↑ موسى, رائد. "برا وبحرا وجوا.. المقاومة تنفذ أكبر مناورة عسكرية في غزة". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Inbari, Pinhas (15 November 2018). "A "Joint Operations Room" in Gaza – the New Factor in the Balance of Power in Gaza". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية - مجمع الخلفاء الراشدين الدعوي يدعو لشد الرحال والرباط في المسجد الأقصى دفاعاً عنه في ظل ما تسمى بمسيرة الأعلام الصهيونية". حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية.
  12. ↑ "حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية - مجمع الخلفاء الراشدين الدعوي يدين ويستنكر توزيع وكالة غوث وتشغيل اللاجئين الفلسطينيين". حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية.
  13. ↑ "IDF reveals video from Oct. 7 of abducted Bibas mom and kids arriving in Khan Younis, says it fears for their fate | The Times of Israel".
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/hamas-israel-war-24/briefings-by-idf-spokesperson-rear-admiral-daniel-hagari/february-24-press-briefings/press-briefing-by-idf-spokesperson-rear-admiral-daniel-hagari-february-19th-2024-2/
  15. ↑ ليست القسام وحدها.. تعرف على أبرز الفصائل المقاوِمة في فلسطين [Al-Qassam is not alone. Learn about the most prominent resistance factions in Palestine]. الجزيرة.نت - ميدان. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "كتائب المجاهدين" من أبرز فصائل المقاومة في حرب غزة..ماذا تعرفون عنها؟ ["Mujahideen Brigades" is one of the most prominent resistance factions in the Gaza war, What do you know about it?]. موقع نبض nabd.com (in Arabic). صدى نيوز. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024. Quote in Arabic:
    "كتائب المجاهدين"، تعتبر الجناح العسكري لحركة المجاهدين الفلسطينيين المنشقة عن حركة فتح، وتُمثل قواتها لواء سابقا بكتائب شهداء الأقصى، وهو لواء "الشهيد جهاد العمارين".
  17. ↑ "كتائب المجاهدين" من أبرز فصائل المقاومة في حرب غزة..ماذا تعرفون عنها؟ ["Mujahideen Brigades" is one of the most prominent resistance factions in the Gaza war, What do you know about it?]. موقع نبض nabd.com (in Arabic). صدى نيوز. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024. Quote in Arabic:
    وهذه الحركة خرجت من رحم حركة فتح، وبدأ مشوارها كمجموعات عسكرية عرفت باسم كتيبة المجاهدين بقيادة المؤسس الشهيد عمر أبو شريعة (أبو حفص) مع بداية انتفاضة الأقصى، وفي العام 2006، تغيّر اسمها إلى "كتائب المجاهدين" كجناح عسكري مستقل لـ"حركة المجاهدين" الفلسطينية.
  18. ↑ "Analysis: 17 Palestinian militant factions identified in recent Gaza conflict | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Annika Ganzeveld, Ashka Jhaveri, Johanna Moore, Alexandra Braverman, Kathryn Tyson, and Brian Carter; Ashka Jhaveri, Johanna Moore, Alexandra Braverman, Kathryn Tyson, and Brian Carter; Johanna Moore, Alexandra Braverman, Kathryn Tyson, and Brian Carter; Alexandra Braverman, Kathryn Tyson, and Brian Carter; Kathryn Tyson, and Brian Carter; Brian Carter (16 April 2024). "IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 16, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 21 July 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 16, 2024 (pdf)" (PDF). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  21. ↑ title كتائب المجاهدين تنشر صورا لقنص 6 جنود إسرائيليين غربي خان يونس في عملية مشتركة مع سرايا القدس https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXhP_CUC08I Al Jazeera Live
  22. ↑ "شاهد.. كتائب المجاهدين تنشر لقطات لاستهداف آليات الاحتلال في محور الشيخ رضوان بمدينة غزة". 5 January 2024 – via YouTube.
  23. ↑ "كتائب المجاهدين تستهدف تجمعا للاحتلال في جباليا بصاروخ "سعير"". 23 January 2024 – via YouTube.
  24. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYZtzYCOvLk (note, the al-Qassam fighter in this video is using the word "mujahideen" in a general sense, not referring to the Mujahideen Brigades.)
  25. ↑ كتائب القسام تنشر مشاهد استهداف آليات الاحتلال في محاور التوغل بمدينة رفح جنوب قطاع غزة. 22 July 2024 – via YouTube.
  26. ↑ "Al-Qassam broadcasts footage of the raid on the occupation headquarters in the Tel Za'rab area in Rafah" القسام تبث مشاهد للإغارة على مقر قيادة الاحتلال بمنطقة تل زعرب في رفح. 10 July 2024 – via YouTube.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "المجزرة مستمرة بغزة ..الاحتلال الاسرائيلي يدمر مربعات سكنية وعشرات الشهداء والجرحى". سما الإخبارية.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "مجزرة حي الصبرة (2023) | المجازر الإسرائيلية". فلسطيننا. 27 November 2023.
  29. ↑ "Bibbs family kidnappers: an independent terrorist organization that split from Fatah". www.israelhayom.co.il. Israel Hayom. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  30. ↑ "Hamas hostages: Stories of the people taken from Israel". 9 October 2023 – via www.bbc.com.
  31. ↑ "IDF: Hamas abducted Bibas family, including baby, handed them to other terror group | The Times of Israel".
  32. ↑ זיתון, יואב; שאולוב, רוני גרין (19 February 2024). "צה"ל הציג למשפחת ביבס תיעוד של האם ושני ילדיה מדרום הרצועה, ימים לאחר החטיפה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  33. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel; Staff, Toi. "IDF finds video of Bibas family in Gaza, 'very concerned' for mother, youngest hostages". www.australianjewishnews.com.
  34. ↑ "'לוחמי הקודש': זה הארגון שחטף את שירי ביבס וילדיה אריאל וכפיר". חרדים10. 19 February 2024.
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